Don't Forget Me
by ArcaneHex77
Summary: A girl is found washed up on Titan's Island. She has no memory except that she's a hardcore dancer. So, the Titans try and help her regain her memory. On top of that, an unknown and dangerous group of criminals have emerged in Jump City. Maybe her awesome dance skills can prove useful. Maybe someone has a crush on her. And maybe they can all get killed in the process.
1. Chapter 1

A cold splash of water brought her back to consciousness, crashing into her like a thousand icicles and engulfing her entire being. She barely stirred, weary from her previous events.

The water dragged her down, and she sunk lower and lower, her head rising to look mindlessly at the glistening sunlight beaming through the water's surface. She blinked, letting her eyes accustom to the salty water so she could see. The streams of light illuminated the millions of bubbles that danced around her and floated up to the surface where they disappeared. She wanted to be like a bubble, to just float to the surface. It was too cold down there. Her dazed mind didn't fully register what was happening until she tried to take a breath. She choked on salty ocean water, but couldn't cough it out.

She was drowning.

Panicked, the girl forced her legs to kick and her arms to paddle, desperately trying to reach the surface, but she was too deep. She had sunk too low. Her sight blurred, her heart thumped loudly in her chest, her eyes widened to the size of tires.

_Oh no, no, no, no, no! C'mon swim! Swim! Just a little farther!_

She slipped back into dark, lonely unconsciousness just before her fingertips could touch air, one last frightening thought echoing through her skull.

_What happened to me?_


	2. Chapter 2

A blue colored air craft landed on the roof of Titan's Tower, where five young heroes anxiously awaited their guests. As the engine cut, two pilots hopped out of the ship.

"Thanks for coming," Robin greeted his guests. He was the leader of a team of five heroes called the Teen Titans, who protected their home, Jump City, and its civilians. As leader, it was Robin's job to make sure every villain and criminal was brought to justice. It was also his job to know when they needed to call reinforcements.

"No problem. We're happy to help," Bumblebee replied cheerfully, with Speedy on her heels. Like the Titans, Bumblebee and Speedy were also apart of a team of heroes, called Titans East, who protected their own home of Steel City on the eastern side of the country. Bumblebee was the leader of their team, and Speedy had volunteered to accompany her on this particular mission. The other members of their team, Aqualad and Mas y Menos, had to stay behind to watch over Steel City.

Starfire, being the friendly optimist of the team, hugged and greeted her two friends first, nearly cutting off the air circulation of each of them with her inhuman strength. Raven simply shook their hands and offered a friendly smile.

"Hey guys!" Speedy greeted his old friends, giving Robin a friendly high five and fist-bumping Beast Boy and Cyborg. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, you were kinda vague on the mission when you called," Bumblebee added.

"Come inside and we'll explain everything," Robin said, waving them inside the Tower.

After they traveled through the grey hallways of the Tower, Robin led them through an automatic double door with a giant black T in the center. It slid open to reveal a high ceiling, capacious room with a sink-in living area.

The two Titans East member had spent a great deal of time in that particular room and knew it well. They stood in front of the center computer, observing a collage of pictures popping up on the center window panel, currently being used as a computer screen, projecting a larger-scale image of what appeared on the smaller computer screen. The rest of Robin's team sat on the half-crescent couch behind them, already knowing what Robin was going to explain.

"There have been several recent attacks by a group of genetically altered criminals," Robin explained, typing in commands to the spherical computer on the sink-in wall. "Their targets are random: banks, museums, schools, the park, the pier. Sometimes they steal money, other times artifacts and jewels, one time they almost kidnapped someone. Occasionally we find them just making a mess, but they don't seem to be doing it just for shits and giggles. They want _something_. Probably multiple things. We just don't know what." Pictures of people dressed in all black, every one of them wearing ski masks, continued to pop up on the screen. Some were seen lifting trucks, smashing into buildings, and other inhuman tasks. There was one picture that was zoomed in to feature a skinny girl who seemed to be throwing balls of light from her bare hands. There had to be at least twenty of them. A video feed from the local news station popped up, turned on mute, showing two different camera angles of the attack at the pier, and the Titans hurriedly trying to stop them. With all of them together the Titans couldn't handle them. They had the Titans outnumbered. But even with their numbers and their extreme abilities, the criminals were sloppy. And once it seemed the Titans were about to defeat them, the masked villains fled the scene into stirred up clouds of dirt and debris without any warning. Even from the poor video feed, you could tell Robin was more than pissed at their escape.

"All we know is that they're very powerful and hard to take down," Robin continued while the video played, "And they keep slipping out of our grasp. And once they get away, we can never track them. That's where you two come in." He turned to face his reinforcements. "We're hoping you can help us find them and bring them down."

Internally, the boy wonder was troubled that he had to call for assistance at all to catch a simple band of super-powered criminals. He'd always been able to keep his team on top of things. When things got bad, he made sure he picked them right back up. It was his job as leader, after all, to keep his team in shape and up to speed. Not that they weren't now, he just felt lousy and weak having to call for help.

Then again, he was also glad that he _had _help _to_ call. Allies are always a good thing to have. That's why he gave communicators to young heroes who'd helped them in the past. He kept having to remind himself that that's why he'd made Bumblebee and Speedy and so many others honorary Titans in the first place. So that they could help each other in times of need. Like right now, for instance.

"It's weird," Bumblebee commented. "They don't act much like a team. They don't even have a single goal. What made them group up in the first place? What do they share in common?"

Robin pressed two keys on the keyboard, and said, "Glad you asked. Listen."

The video replayed, with sound this time. As the Titans fought and almost had them in a chokehold, a load buzzing was heard over the sounds of battle. As they listened further, they realized it wasn't buzzing at all. It was a chant.

"The master will defeat you all. The master is all powerful. You will never win." The band of meta-humans reiterated, right before disappearing.

"Master?" Speedy repeated.

"So they're working for someone," Bee discerned.

"It's still weird though," said Speedy. "Why would someone create a tiny army of suped-up delinquents just to steal random stuff and run havoc all over the city?"

"Gain power. Elicit fear," Robin supplied. "Trust me. There are tons of reasons."

"So we're not just hunting down the jar-heads," said Speedy.

"We're hunting down their leader," Bumblebee finished.

Robin nodded and replied, "And if we can't even catch them, finding their leader is going to take everything we've got. So that's exactly what we're going to give him."

"If only Aqualad and Mas y Menos were here," Speedy said in disappointment. "They would've loved this kind of action."

"Sorry Speedy," Bumblebee said in her leader-like manner, "but _somebody_ had to watch over Steel City. All the other honorary Titans have their hands busy. You volunteered to come along, but if you wanna go back and have Aqualad take your place-"

"Are you kidding?" Speedy interrupted. "I'm just itching to send my arrows flying toward one of those bozos."

"Good," Robin noted. "Because I expect they'll be attacking again. And soon. Worst comes to worst, we may have to bring Aqualad and double-M over here to help us. I could talk Kid Flash and Jinx into watching Steel City for you guys."

"Let's hope it doesn't have to come to that," Bee replied, just as Robin cleared the screen and turned it off.

"Okay, well we've searched the entire city twice _and_ have scanners looking for activity round the clock," Beast Boy explained, standing up from the couch. "_Sooo_, in the mean-time… Who wants to play VIDEO GAMES?" He made a beeline for the front of the circular yellow table in front of the couch, and took out two game cases, holding them up for everyone to see. Bee and Speedy, however, retreated to sit on the couch next to Cyborg, who was listening excitedly for his gaming options.

"Okay, dudes," Beast Boy started. "We've got Mega Monkeys 3: Battle of the Ultra Chimps, and Robot Battle 2, of which I am supreme-overlord, and I'll take down anyone who dares challenge the master."

Cyborg laughed, "Yeah. _You're _the master. That's why I whoop your butt every time!"

Raven cast a sideways glance at Bumblebee and said, "I'll help you carry your stuff to the guest rooms," knowing that that Titans East leader wasn't interested in video games, but her archer counterpart was. Bee smirked at her, and nodded.

Raven and Bee left -rather flew- out of the room to collect her and Speedy's things out of their T-ship. Starfire retreated to the kitchenette and pulled a bag of popcorn out of one of the cabinets, setting it in the micowave and pushing a button to cook it, humming joyfully.

Speedy, who hadn't moved from his spot on the couch, looked over at Robin next to him. "So if you've searched the city and couldn't find a trace of these guys, do you think this 'master' could be operating from a different city?"

"I've thought about that," he replied, sitting back into the cushions and crossing his gloved arms over his chest, "but if he was, why attack just Jump City? Why not send his troops to other nearby cities as well?"

"Maybe whatever he wants is in Jump City, and he just didn't want to move his base."

"They've stolen things nearly every city contains: money, jewels, artifacts, even people. They don't seem to be hunting down anything specific."

Speedy's suspicion rose. "I thought you said they _almost_ kidnapped someone.

Robin nodded, eyes still glued to the screen where Beast Boy's video game was loading. "They tried taking a teenage girl from the pier. We got her back before they could leave with her though. We questioned her, but she had no knowledge or connections to the group."

"Maybe this 'master' is just looking for attention." Speedy said after a pause.

"Well if it's attention he wants, he's got it." Robin narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

The two masked heroes let the topic slide, and focused on Cyborg and Beast Boy's game. The conventional game of Robot Battle 2 began, and the "supreme-overlord" got his butt handed to him repeatedly. Robin and Speedy couldn't help but laugh as the changeling demanded a rematch. Starfire floated from the kitchenette holding a steaming bag of popcorn, the intense heat not seeming to bother the alien, and landed delicately behind the couch.

"Friends, would you like some of the popped corn? It is nice and-"

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg interrupted her, throwing a victory fist in the air inferring that he just won the game again, causing Starfire to squeal and jump, the popcorn bag flying out of her hands and landing near the window at the front of the room.

Cyborg looked behind him at his red-headed friend and smiled sheepishly, "Whoops! Sorry."

Starfire just smiled kindly, her eyes squinting together, "It is quite all right!" Starfire rarely got angry with people, and even less often did she hold grudges. She flew over to the window to pick up the popcorn pieces. As she stood with the soiled popcorn back in the bag, she glanced out the window at the grand view of Jump City. She'd always loved this view, especially the coastline of the tiny island their home was built on. Suddenly she wished it were summer, instead of March, so she could go down and sit on the edge of the rocks with Robin, who she'd been dating for a few months now. They spent a lot of time down there on those rocks…

Where a dark figure was protruding from the surface of the water.


	3. Chapter 3

**Usually I wouldn't upload so many chapters in one day, but because I got my first review within **_**minutes**_**, and because they asked nicely, I'll give you this. Sorry it's not that long.**

**Thanks for my first review Juniper Night!**

Starfire looked a bit harder at the distant figure. Had something washed up onto shore? Not many things have washed up onto the island before… As her vision cleared, she could distinctly make out an arm.

She gasped, and the bag of soiled popcorn dropped from her hands back onto the floor. "ROBIN! We are being invaded!" She yelled, acting on impulse.

Wide-eyed and on alert, Cyborg and Beast Boy tossed their controllers onto the yellow table and charged out the door, following Starfire, Speedy, and Robin, who was contacting Raven on his communicator. Within a minute, all seven of them had gathered outside and were sprinting, following Starfire to where she spotted the interloper.

"There!" The alien pointed, and the heroes mentally and physically transposed into battle mode.

As Robin was about to reach for a bird-a-rang, Raven, who was floating just behind Cyborg, stopped him.

"Wait!" She cried, causing everyone to look at her with curious eyes. After a few seconds of concentration, just to be sure, the empath said cautiously, "I don't think we're being invaded."

After that said, she flew above her teammates and landed on the rocks in front of their "invader". "Robin, you should come see this," she called back to him.

Robin jogged over to his friend and kneeled on one knee next to her. "It's not an attacker…" he realized, "it's…"

"A girl," Beast Boy finished, looking over them.

Half still in the water, a teenage girl laid face down, one of her arms extended to her side and the other squished under her stomach. She definitely didn't crawl up onto the shore and pass out. It looked like she just washed up with the tide.

"I don't even think she's conscious," Raven commented, lifting the girl's wrist to check for a pulse.

"We should get her onto shore," said Robin. Using her black energy, Raven lifted the unconscious girl from the water and laid her gently on the rocks face up. Robin kneeled down and moved some wet hair out of her face.

She appeared around fifteen, maybe sixteen, with a round face and long dark blonde hair. Her dripping wet navy blue tank clung to her thin waist, as did her dark skinny jeans to her long legs, and her light brown leather jacket looked heavy and uncomfortable on her narrow shoulders. She was missing her left shoe, only a black sock covering her foot, and her right foot was protected by a black Vans slip-on sneaker. Her lips were blue, indicating she had probably been underwater for a while. Even though it was spring, the water was still freezing from winter.

Almost instinctively, Cyborg turned his sonic cannon back into his hand, and scanned the girl's body for bio-scripts. "I got a heartbeat, but it's slow."

"She needs CPR," Robin said as he adjusted her position, and placed his right hand over his left fist and began pressing on her chest right under her ribcage. Just before Robin finished twelve compressions, the girl coughed. Her eyes squeezed tighter shut and she sat up, leaning slightly to the side. She coughed up about a gallon of ocean water, and after some wheezing and panting, she looked straight up at her rescuers, eyes wide and frightened.

Inside, the girl felt horrible. She was colder than an ice sculpture, trembling, and aching everywhere. But mostly her head hurt like a train wreck had just occurred in her skull.

"Are you all right?" Robin asked, offering a hand to help her stand.

She ignored his offer, and instead inched backwards defensively. "Who-Who are you?" Robin was only slightly surprised at her question. He figured if she didn't recognize them, then she probably wasn't from Jump City. But why was she in the bay, without even a swimsuit, in the middle of March? "Where am I?" she added.

"We're the Teen Titans. You're at Titan's Tower," the Boy Wonder replied slowly, hoping not to alarm her. It wasn't until he said "tower" that she noticed the large T-shaped building square in the center of the island. _How the hell did I get here? _

"It's okay," Robin comforted, seeing her weary and confused expression, "we're good guys. We're going to help you."

"And, uh, not to be nosey, but, who _are_ you?" asked Beast Boy.

The girl eyed every teen in front of her. They all looked at her with expressions of worry, confusion, and distrust. They weren't normal, she could tell that much. She figured that out when she saw the scrawny green kid and the girl with the bug wings. Who _were_ they? Were they mutants? Outcasts? Some kind of circus act? Nothing in her memory told her she'd seen these people before. As she dwelled further on her memory, she considered the boy's question. Who was she?

"I-I don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

There were no questions asked, despite the curiosity and wonder that was practically tangible in the atmosphere. Once the girl declared she didn't know who she was, there was a tacit understanding among them. _Amnesia. _

Robin and Speedy helped the girl to her feet, and she instantly became light headed and nearly fell over, but Speedy put his arms out and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Let's get her inside," Robin said, putting one of her arms over his shoulder and helping her walk to the Tower's entrance.

They set her down on the sofa, and Starfire wrapped a towel around her thin shoulders. "Wh-who are you?" the girl asked again, holding the towel tighter.

"We are the Teen Titans," Starfire reiterated Robin's answer from earlier, kneeling in front of her. "I am Starfire," she then gestured to everyone of her teammates as she said their names, "This is Robin, Beastboy, Raven, and Cyborg. And this is Speedy and Bumblebee, members of Titans East."

"Why are you helping me?" She asked slowly. Her lack of memory was annoying and unhelpful, but she figured if they already knew her, Starfire would've said "We're your friends" or "We're your family" or something along those lines. The weird polite girl gave a full introduction. Obviously they had never met her before. And if that was the case, why didn't they just call an ambulance or something?

Starfire smiled politely and said, "We are heroes. It is what we do."

The girl just stared at Starfire blankly. _Is this some kind of a joke? Who are these kids? Where are the adults? _She thought.

Robin stepped around the couch and kneeled next to Starfire. "What can you remember?"'

He had an intimidating, kind of authoritative aura about him, plus trying to remember something didn't sound like such a bad idea. The girl closed her eyes tight, thinking back. She woke up on the shore, but what happened before that? Where did she live? What was her phone number? Where were her parents? Did she even have parents? Was she an orphan? Who was she? Why couldn't she remember? _What happened?_

She gritted her teeth in aggravation, her head starting to hurt. "Nothing," she said through her teeth. She groaned and clutched her head in her hands. "Could you give me a minute?" Reluctantly, Robin nodded and waved his team and sister team away from the couch. They gathered at the small set of tables accompanied with the chairs attached to the sink-in wall, and began whispering to each other.

"Robin, do you really think we can trust her?" Raven asked, leaning against the table with both her hands.

"I don't believe she's here to attack or infiltrate us. If she is, why would she lie about losing her memory? Out of all the stories she could tell us…"

"I just don't want us to be deceived. Again," Raven said, her monotone voice becoming serious. Robin nodded, understanding her point.

"We won't let that happen again, Rae," Beast Boy said placing a gloved hand on her shoulder, remembering the traitor she was referring to all too well.

Speedy and Bumblebee only vaguely knew the story. They knew she had deceived them, then saved the city, and then was trapped forever in stone. If they knew about Beast Boy's affiliation with her, they didn't say or ask about it.

"So what do we do with her?" Cyborg asked.

"We'll bring her to the police station," Robin answered decisively. "Maybe someone's looking for her and reported a missing teenage girl. But right now, I think it's best if we try and help her figure out who she is." Simultaneously, the young heroes all looked over at their guest. They could faintly hear her mumbling to herself.

"Remember… remember…" she mumbled, looking down at her cold feet, "Think of something. Anything. A name…" she paused for a heartbeat, thinking. "George Washington. That sounds familiar… Is he a singer? No, that's not a singer's name…"

"Raven, can you try and help her?" Robin sighed. Clearly, the amnesic girl wasn't getting anywhere on her own. The empath nodded, and floated over the couch. Raven kneeled on one knee, and placed a delicate hand on the girl's head.

The amnesiac flinched at the touch. "What are you doing?" She asked in alarm.

Raven's eyes glowed white, "I'm going to look into your mind, and hopefully I can dig up your memories." She left out her inner curiosity to see if the girl was telling them the truth.

The girl's eyes were wide. "Are you insane? You can't read my mind! That's just not possible!"

"Trust me it's _very _possible," Raven assured her. The girl gasped as she felt Raven's figurative hand touch her mind.

"Ooooohhh this is weird," the girl slurred.

Raven burrowed through the girl's troubled thoughts, first calming her down then sorting through whatever memories she could find, like digging through a pile of rocks and rubble. Raven found the memories of her waking up on the rocks, and pushed farther. Her face scrunched up. There was some kind of block, like a giant, never-ending shield keeping her from the girl's memories. Why couldn't she get around it? C'mon, find something! Anything! A name, a place, anything!

Raven cried out, snatching her hand away from the girl like she'd burned it, and clutched her own head in pain, fumbling back and hitting the round table in front off the couch. Well, at least she knew the girl was telling the truth about not remembering anything.

"Raven!" Robin exclaimed, helping his teammate up and placing his hands on her shoulders, making her face him. "Are you okay? What happened? What did you find?"

"Nothing," Raven said quietly, dropping her hands at her sides. "I've never read a mind so… blank. Besides what she remembers from earlier, all her other memories are blocked. I can't reach them." She glanced at the girl, who shrunk back into the cushions, her arms wrapping around her knees, keeping them close to her chest in defense. "I don't know how it happened, but she has a really bad case of amnesia. It's up to her and her subconscious to get her memories back."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," the girl muttered, just loud enough for them to hear her. When she had their attention again, she unwrapped her arms and placed her feet on the ground again. She sat up a little taller. "So that's it? You're not going to do anything? I thought you said you were going to help me."

"Hey, relax," Speedy commented, "We _did _try, and we _are_ helping you. We'll figure something out. Just relax"

She wheeled on him, "Relax? How can I relax? I'm sitting here with people I don't know without a clue how I got here and I can't remember anything and I don't even know my own name!"

"That's not our fault," he said, trying hard not to snap, but quickly becoming very irritated. "And, like Star said, we're only trying to help you."

"Dudes, chill out," Beast boy said, stepping up behind the couch in front of Speedy so he was in between the two.

The girl sighed, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. "I'm sorry," she looked back up at Speedy, "You're right. You're just trying to help, and I'm not making it any better."

"You got that right," said Speedy, obviously still annoyed. The girl snuck a glare at him. _What's his problem?_

Beast Boy hopped over the couch, landing on his butt next to the amnesiac girl. "Everything's ganna be okay, uh…" he soothed, the feeling lost when he realized he didn't know her name. "I know you don't remember your name and all, but what should we call you?"

She shrugged, not sure how to answer that.

"Well, we've gotta call you something," said Cyborg, leaning over the couch behind BB's shoulder. "Unless you want us to call you No-name." It was meant as a joke, but the girl didn't laugh. She found it hard to even smile.

"On my planet, a person in your circumstances would be called a moonzop-nork-avery," Starfire stated. "In this language it would translate to 'forgetful traveler'."

"Well that certainly fits," the nameless girl muttered. "I'm not so sure about the moonzop-nork part, but I like the ending. Avery," She looked up at Starfire with kinder eyes, uncrossing her arms, "That's an actual name, isn't it?"

"Well, alright. Avery it is," Bumblebee said cheerfully, flying over the couch and hovering next to her, extending her hand, "Nice to meet ya!" Avery shook Bee's thin hand warily, eyes growing wide slightly at the sight of a flying girl.

"Okay then… Avery," Robin smiled at her, "Let's head down to Jump City police station and see if they can't help you out. They receive dozens of missing people reports all the time. Surely one of them will describe you."

For the first time since she woke up, hope fluttered and rose in Avery's chest like an oncoming high tide.

"But first," Bumblebee said mischievously, planting her feet on the ground and placing her hands on her hips, "we should get you some dry clothes. I don't think you want to be walking around in that. No offense."

Avery looked down at her soaked clothes, and her lone shoe. She _did_ have to change. Even if she kept her clothes on and they dried, she only had one shoe and she could see smudges of dirt and small tears on her jeans and jacket. "But, I don't have any spare clothes," Avery stated, looking back up at the winged teenager.

Bee smiled, "No biggie. You can borrow some of mine."

Bee lead Avery up to her temporary room, and gave her grey sweatpants, a yellow and black V-neck t-shirt, panties and a bra to wear. It was much more comfortable than the cold, clingy clothes she had on before. The sweatpants fit perfectly, and the shirt was soft and supple. Bumblebee also had a pair of black high-top sneakers she let her borrow. The shoes were a tad small, but Avery didn't complain.

Avery looked at herself in the full-sized mirror leaning against the wall next to the simple beige-colored bed. Seeing her own face was like listening to a song that you knew all the lyrics to, but had completely forgotten about after years of negligence. Her dark blonde hair was still damp, and was tangled and messy. It was long, every strand passing her shoulder blades and ending above the small of her back. She combed it a bit with her fingers, then gave up and just let it hang there, air-drying. She had declined Robin's offer for a shower before she was lead upstairs, just trying not to be a burden, but now Avery was regretting that decision.

There were faint dark circles under her eyes. Avery wondered how long it had been since she got a good night's sleep. Her eyes were deep set, lined with thin black lashes, and her irises were a dark ember green, tinged with hazel on the outermost parts.

She recognized every detail, like she was looking at an old pre-school friend, and you barely recognize them after they've grown up and changed. But the basic features were still there. Every detail completely familiar, yet strangely new. A round, slim face. Small nose sloped up a tiny bit at the tip. Full, yet pale and chapped lips. Soft angled light eyebrows. Light beige skin tone with a hint of a tan. Not too many freckles. Not a blemish in sight. She was very…plain. But that was perfectly fine with her.

"Like looking at a stranger?" Bumblebee asked, stepping up behind Avery and looking at her in the mirror.

Avery shrugged, not meeting her eyes in the reflection. "Not entirely. It's just weird. If it's this easy to recognize myself, why is it so hard to recognize everything else?"

"Well the only thing you've seen so far is the Tower, and I doubt that'd be familiar to you. C'mon down stairs. Take a look at the city on the way to the station. Your bound to recognize something."

Avery smiled, grateful for her kindness. Bee turned around to leave the room, but Avery grabbed her arm gently and said, "Wait."

Bee looked back at her with confusion. "I just…" Avery stammered, trying to find the right words to piece together her difficult and awkward question. "Something's been nagging me. I can't really figure it out, and I hope this doesn't sound weird or offensive, but was, uh, Starfire serious when she said you guys are… heroes?"

For some reason Avery could not fathom, Bumblebee seemed a bit amused by this. The dark-skinned teen chuckled a bit and said, "Yep, we're heroes."

Avery dropped her hand and took a step back. "Heroes? Like, _super_heroes?"

Bee nodded. "We help civilians, beat up bad guys, and save the world once or twice." She shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Huh," Avery said, her mouth slanting up at the corner in a half-smirk. "Well, I guess that explains the costumes, and, um, the flying." _Heroes… Jeez, did I luck out or what? Better than being found by a bunch of hoboes who just wanted to take my jacket. Way better._

Bee chuckled again, then lead the way back down to the common room where the heroes were waiting to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Avery rode shotgun in the T-car, with Cyborg at the wheel, and Speedy, Robin, and Raven in the backseat. Bumblebee, Beast Boy, and Starfire flew overhead. First seeing the T-car, Avery was impressed, and a bit overwhelmed. Cyborg bragged, saying he built the vehicle with his own two mechanical hands.

Besides the monotone purr of the engine, it was silent in the T-car. Usually, it would be Starfire or Beast Boy who got the conversations started. Cyborg knew well enough that the four passengers in his precious T-car were probably more comfortable in silence anyway, so he said nothing.

Avery wasn't sure exactly what to make of the silence. She didn't want to say anything, she wasn't in the mood to talk much, but the stillness seemed to be eating at her. She had no thoughts, no fantasies or memories, to delve in, other than the obvious. But she was sick and tired of thinking about _that_. Her eyes trailed out the window, and she dozed off a couple times, sometimes not really seeing anything at all, and other times seeing tall buildings and random civilians taking notice to the familiar vehicle zooming down the street. She tried taking Bumblebee's advice and trying to recognize something, but she found it hard when her line of sight kept going back to the people staring.

_So these heroes are popular in this city_. It seemed like people were getting really excited over just the sight of the Teen Titan's car on the street, like it was a signal that something epic was going to happen. Well, them being superheroes, they probably thought something epic _was_ going to happen.

Now that Avery thought about it, the whole superheroes thing kind of sounded familiar.

_Superheroes… Isn't there like, a big group of superheroes? A league… Justice League!_

They were really famous in cities and stuff, but she didn't know much about them. She mentally patted herself on the back, ducking her head to hide the smile she couldn't suppress. She remembered something! But… she was pretty sure, if not positive, that theses guys weren't the Justice League. They were too young. Plus, they had called themselves the Teen Titans. Not the Justice League.

_So… they're like a Junior Justice League? Young Justice? _

The leader's name, Robin, sounded familiar when she thought of the Justice League. She felt like the two terms belonged together.

_Isn't he somebody's sidekick? Catman? Birdman?… Batman! That's it. He's the Dark Knight's sidekick… the Boy Wonder! _

But obviously he wasn't fighting alongside the Big Bad Bat anymore_._ Avery wondered what had happened to the dynamic duo.

_Why did they split up? Did Batman fire him? Did Robin quit? _

Now that she thought about those questions, she decided she wouldn't ask Robin about it. The very name, Batman, might probably stir up some bad memories.

Suddenly Avery couldn't deal with the silence anymore. She wanted noise, but didn't want to talk. This was a car… cars had radios. Music seemed like a decent solution in her mind. Avery reached for the dial pad, but her hand froze midway when she took a good look at it. Nothing was labeled. She would've known a regular old radio when she saw one, but this was _not_ a regular radio.

"Okay, how do you work the radio on this thing?" She asked deadpanned.

Cyborg smirked, glad both that someone was making an effort to get out of the awkward silence, and that Avery wasn't being as distant as she was a few moments ago.

"It's just a simple 1000 watt surround sound stereo with maximum quality and the latest-"

"Okay, but how do you turn it _on_?" Avery interrupted his bragging. "This never ending silence is killing me."

"We'll be at the station in at least five minutes," Robin assured her. This didn't seem to matter to the amnesiac though.

Avery turned halfway in her seat to face the Boy Wonder, disbelief and the hint of a smirk on her face. "You can squeeze in two songs _minimum_ in at least five minutes."

Cyborg grinned at her logic. At least the girl had a liking for music. He pushed a big circular shaped button, and an old alternative rock song played through the surround sound.

Avery immediately recognized the song. Cyborg had turned the radio on right in the middle of the second verse. Avery sung along to the lyrics in her head, the words seeming to come to her out of nowhere.

_Live right now, yeah, just be yourself. _

_It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else._

_It just takes some time! Little girl you're in the middle of the ride!_

_Everything, everything will be just fine._

_Everything, everything will be alright, alright._

Avery pretended the lead singer was singing to her, that the words were meant for her. She hoped everything would be alright. She clung to that hope like a child clinging to her teddy bear while watching a scary movie. These young heroes were nice, and they said they would help her. The police get hundreds of missing persons reports. She _had_ to be one of them. Certainly someone out there was looking for her. She couldn't have gone through life not knowing a single person. But, then again, knowing someone and caring about someone are two totally different things. Surely… surely there was _someone _out there who cared enough about Avery to notice she was gone…

_It just takes some time! Little girl you're in the middle of the ride!_

_Everything, everything will be just fine. Everything, everything will be alright, alright._

But what if she was one of those people who had no friends, an outcast, who's own parents -if she had any- didn't want her? If that was the case, maybe she ran away, and lost her memory hitting her head on something. Pondering it, Avery realized that it was very possible. That hope that she clung to before now slithered away, to be replaced with an unwelcome sense of dread.

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet. _

_It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on._

Maybe all this paranoia _was_ just in her head. There was a very good chance that someone had contacted the police and was looking for her. Though as she tried to reassure herself, the idea still nagged in the back of her mind.

_Just do your best, do everything you can._

_And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say._

_It just takes some time! Little girl you're in the middle of the ride!_

_Everything, everything will be just fine. Everything, everything will be alright, alright._

_It just takes some time! Little girl you're in the middle of the ride! _

_Everything, everything will be just fine. Everything, everything will be alright, alright._

Everything will be alright… She was still alive, still breathing. Once Avery got her memory back, she'd know what to do, where to go. If it turns out she really did run away from a life of neglect, she could go somewhere else. Start over with a new life. Looking at Jump City as it flew by outside, she kind of liked the look of a city. Everything was in walking distance. There was tons of stuff to do. Maybe she would move to a city. Hell, maybe she'd stay in Jump. After all, it seemed like they were well protected.

The song had ended, interrupting her thoughts, and was replaced with a man's voice.

"_That was 'The Middle' by Jimmy Eat World. That song never gets old, honestly. Now, I promised you guys I'd talk about what's going on with everyone's favorite teen superheroes: the Teen Titans." _Avery arched an eyebrow at Cyborg, and he returned her questioning glance with a wink on his human eye. _"So we all know about these recent attacks in Jump City, and the gang is fighting hard to bring these guys to justice. Just like they always do, always have. But apparently, this band of criminals is even more out of control than we originally thought. Get this: I just got inside word this morning that Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, has called in for backup! The media is _buzzing _about it! We have word that the Titans East was seen flying over to Jump City late this morning."_

"Wow, good news sure travels fast," Speedy muttered.

"_I don't exactly know who was in the ship," _the radio host continued, _"but I assume it wasn't the whole Titan's East team because there has been no indication that another hero is watching over Steel City for them… Lori what do you think of this whole thing?"_

The static-like sound of a woman's voice talking over the telephone started speaking. _"Hey Chris K! I live right here in downtown Jump City, and, no joke, I witnessed the Titans East's ship land on Titan's Tower's rooftop. It was so cool! But I couldn't see who came out of it, I was just watching from the shore."_

"_That is insane," _the DJ -Chris K- commented, _"Did you get a picture for me?"_

Lori laughed, _"No, not this time, but a bunch of people were taking videos and snapping pictures."_

"_That's awesome, I'm sure to find one of them on Youtube in the next five minutes."_

Lori laughed again, probably more excited about the fact that she was talking on the radio than the actual topic. _"I bet you will!"_

"_So what do you know about this new team of villains?" _Chris K asked.

"_All I know about them is that they're hoggin' up all the news channels. I just hope they don't randomly come out and attack while I'm out shoppin' or somethin'. I heard they kidnapped people!"_

"_I'm with you on that one, Lori…" _Avery didn't hear what he said next, because Cyborg cut in at that point.

He practically roared, "What? Where did that girl get her information? We didn't let them kidnap anybody! It was one person, not people! And we saved her!"

"Stories tend to change in detail the more people talk about them," Robin said, obviously also irritated by the bad publicity Lori had given them.

"So, who are these 'new criminals' they were talking about?" Avery asked.

"We don't know their name," Raven answered impassively, "all we know is that they have powers, they're disorganized, but destructive, and they serve under someone they call 'the master'."

"Oh…" Avery said simply, "And you haven't found them yet?" She asked it as a simple question, not like she was questioning their abilities.

"Not yet," Robin became suddenly determined, "but like every other criminal, we _will_ bring them down. We just need to figure out what they're planning, and stop it."

"Simple as that," Avery said with light sarcasm and a tiny smile. "So, while I'm here… should I be worried?"

Speedy smirked. "Not at all. You'll be totally safe with us. That's what heroes are for!"

Avery nodded and nearly whispered, "Right," at the same time Cyborg hollerd, "We're here, y'all!"


	6. Chapter 6

They had pulled up to a three story big brick building, with the words "Jump City Police Station" brandished on the front above the three sets of glass double doors.

The police station was buzzing with commotion. It wasn't like Avery had pictured a police station would look like. Desks topped with computers, papers, and desk lamps were set up in columns, leaving an open aisle straight in the middle of the room. Near the right wall were plastic chairs, lined up side by side, heavily guarded by intimidating officers. There were several seats, but only a few men and a straggly looking woman filled them. Each one of them had at least one wrist hand-cuffed to the leg of their chair. That was where the criminals sat, Avery knew it.

There was so much commotion and noise, Avery couldn't figure out where to go the moment she walked in behind Robin. Policemen were everywhere, sitting at the desks, doing paper work, questioning people, conversing with other officers, eating donuts and drinking coffee. She was more than a little overwhelmed.

Avery sauntered after Robin, who had silently approached one of the conversing officers near the front door. Weary of her surroundings, Avery took a glance around her, making a complete 360 spin. She noticed one of the criminals cuffed to his chair was staring at her. She quickly diverted her attention away, trying not to show any trace of fear.

It seemed some of the Titans decided to wait outside. The only ones who had followed her in were Bumblebee, Starfire, and Cyborg. She took comfort knowing Cyborg was there. So far, he seemed trustworthy and protective. Not to mention he was the size of a tank who could totally squash anyone who came near her.

"Titans," The officer said, as if he wasn't expecting to see them there. His counterparts, who had just been chatting friendlily, straightened up and got a serious look on their faces as if the president had just walked in. It must've been a big deal for the heroes to be there. Maybe they didn't step onto their turf often, and the guards assumed something big was going down. "What are- um, what can we do for you?"

As grave as the officer was, Robin replied with a lighter tone, perhaps to indicate that there was no immediate danger that they needed to hasten to. "We just need to speak to Chief Daniels for a moment."

The officer didn't argue, or even hesitate. He simply nodded and retreated to the back of the room, poking his head in an office. The simple exchange made Robin seem like such highly respected authority, even though he was just a teenager. A few words were exchanged, and then the officer came back with a burly man with a graying handle-bar mustache, wearing a white uniform shirt with a red badge on the left arm, a black tie, black uniform pants and shiny black shoes. With all the other officers wearing black uniform shirts, he stood out fairly well.

Avery stood apprehensively, half hidden behind Robin, despite him being at least three inches shorter than her.

"Robin, it's good to see you again," Chief greeted the boy wonder, shaking his hand with a warm smile. "It's not every day the Teen Titans come down to the station personally. What can I do for you?"

Robin stepped to the side a bit and gestured to Avery. "We found our friend here this morning, washed up unconscious at the Tower on the edge of the island. We were wondering if there's been a recent missing persons report that might fit her description."

Chief nodded squarely, "I see." He faced Avery, his brows coming together in thought. "What's your name, young lady?"

Avery hesitated, choking on her own breath. "I, uh- I don't know. I mean, they call me Avery, but that's not my real name. I-I don't remember it…"

"She has amnesia," Robin informed the Chief.

Chief's eyebrows rose in surprise, a troubled look in his eyes. "Oh, well, that _does_ complicate things, doesn't it? Officer Hoskins," Chief Daniels acknowledged the first officer they spoke to before, "bring me all the missing reports from the past few months." Officer Hoskins obeyed with a curt "yes, Sir" and walked away briskly to another branch in the station. "Come with me, I'll get you a seat." Chief Daniels waved for the teens to follow him, and he lead them into his office.

Two burgundy cushioned seats faced the wide glass-topped desk with the name plate on it that read "Chief Warren Daniels". His desk, to say the least, was a mess. Papers and files were strewn across the surface, half covering an open laptop. A cup of coffee rested next to a shield-shaped silver badge and a black hand-gun. Chief Daniels, who muttered apologies for the mess, assembled as many papers as he could and stuffed them into a drawer built into the back of the desk. The room was plain, simple, the walls painted white and decorated with framed pictures of the police force, and a deep grey carpet covering the floor.

Avery sat in the left chair, folding her hands in her lap and bouncing her leg nervously. Robin sat in the chair next to her, appearing relaxed with professional aplomb. Cyborg, Bee and Star stood behind them patiently. Bumblebee, noticing Avery's antsy actions, placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly. Avery faked a smile at the heroine, knowing she wasn't fooling anyone, but was still grateful for the attempt at comfort.

"Well, um, I'm deeply sorry for your predicament, uh, Avery was it?" Chief stuttered, sitting himself down in his own office chair.

Avery nodded, "That's what they're calling me until we find out who I really am." The sentence sounded weirder in her head than it did out loud, to Avery's contentment. Just then the office door opened and in came Hoskins with a mountain-load of files, plopping them on Chief's desk. _If they ever find out who I really am_. _Jeez, how can so many people go missing in one city?_ Avery eyed the huge stack of papers, dread making her eyes widen for a second. _No, this is good. The more papers there are, the more likely one of them could be for me. It'll just… take a while. A _long_ while. _

Chief opened the top file, immediately dismissing it and tossing it to the other side of his desk. "Alright then. Better than no-name, right?" Chief joked, unknowingly repeating Cyborg's joke from earlier. Avery tried to smile, but all she could muster was a sheepish smirk. "Okay, Avery, why don't you start by telling me what you _can_ remember?" He interlocked his fingers and leaned forward on his elbows.

Glancing over at Robin, Avery wrapped her thin arms around herself, sinking back into the cushions. Robin gave her an short-lived, reassuring nod, telling her tacitly that everything was going to be okay. She briefly remembered the song lyrics from the car ride. _Everything, everything will be alright, alright. _Singing the song in her head a bit gave her the motivation to speak. "It's… really fuzzy," she started. "I remember waking up on the beach, coughing up salt water -which tasted nasty, by the way- and looking up to find the Titans surrounding me. They, uh, saved me."

Chief nodded, "Anything before that?"

Avery shook her head. "Nothing. I feel like there's more, I mean there _has_ to be more, but it's empty. Raven said that there's something… blocking my memory…? I don't know what or how, but something's definitely in the way."

"Raven tried to dig up her memories," Robin explained, "but couldn't find anything. She said besides what she's remembers from this morning, her mind is completely blank."

"Do you have any idea how you could've lost your memory?" Chief asked, the question directed at Avery.

Avery shrugged just as Cyborg said, "I ran a scan on her bioscript when she was still unconscious. She has no head trauma, no serious injuries, not even a bruise on her skull. Her memories are just… gone." _Whoa, wait, he did a _scan_ on my brain? And didn't say anything?_ _Well I _was _still unconscious when he did it, so he might've said something and I_ _didn't hear it. But still! He couldn't have mentioned it to me? Especially the fact about the lack of head trauma? Here I was assuming I hit my head on something and knocked myself out. _Now, Avery was even more confused as to what actually could've happened.

Chief sighed heavily, running his fingers through his receding hair. He looked Avery in the eyes with wonder and a bit of pity. "Would you like something to drink? Might clear your mind a little. We have coffee, soda, water, uh…"

He rambled on about a snack machine just down the hall, but Avery tuned him out after he said that last word. "Water," she mumbled, repeating the word in her head.

"Hmm?" Chief asked, leaning in a bit closer so he could hear her better.

"Water," She said a little louder, not as a decision but more as a realization. A frightening realization. The word bounced around in her head, and as soon as it was there it was gone, replaced by an image. Deep, dark, frigid cold water, surrounding her, suffocating her, _drowning her_.

She clutched her head, the memory shooting cannons at the blockade in her mind, fighting to break through. "Water," she reiterated, "I- I remember water."

"She _did_ wash up on the island," Starfire noted. "Perhaps the memory of her events just before the start of her amnesia is becoming clearer." The alien stepped forward a bit, resting her hand on the back of Avery's chair, looking over the amnesiac with concern.

Avery's body shook with pain. She remembered the tightness, the slowness of her movements, the restrictions the water forced upon her. She remembered the lack of oxygen, how the water had caught in her throat and refused to be coughed up. She remembered the glacial water hitting her like a million thick needles, sharpened to a deadly point, and the current pulling her down. It seeped through her subconscious like ooze, the thick barrier cracking and finally giving way.

"I-I," she stuttered, feeling like the water was stealing her breath once again, "Oh god, it was horrible…" Tear brimmed her eyes, but for a moment they stung, and Avery thought it was salt water penetrating her vision again. Suddenly, she wasn't in Chief Daniel's office anymore. She was back under the water. "I can't- I can't breathe! I- NO!" Avery convulsed from the memory of the worst pain she could remember, her body folding in on itself so her head was just above her knees. Her hands still clutched her head, her knuckles turned white. She gripped her hair and nearly pulled it out.

"Avery!" Robin sprang out of his seat instantly, kneeling in front of the pained girl's chair, grasping her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "Avery, look at me! It's okay, you're okay! You're safe!"

The door burst open, and Raven ran in, followed by the rest of the Titans. Robin stepped back, worry written on his face like a neon sign, and let Raven through. Raven lifted Avery to face her, and placed her thin grey hands on Avery's temple. Raven's eyes glowed white as she reached into the panicked girl's mind, which was at the point of total bedlam. She saw and felt what Avery felt. It was just as real. But Raven had dealt with panicked minds creating the illusion that a memory was real plenty times before. Raven grasped that illusion like it was a living psychopath, and pushed it back into it's mental padded cell, bringing Avery's conscious thought back to the present. Her eyes returned back to their normal shade of violet just as Avery physically calmed down.

"Thanks, Raven," Avery whispered, her heartbeat returning to a normal-ish speed.

Raven nodded, then said, "I sensed you were troubled, and then in pain. I rushed in as soon as I could. You… remember drowning."

Avery nodded, looking down at her borrowed shoes. "It was cold, frigid. There was… so much pressure…" she shuddered, her eyes squeezing closed.

"Avery, you don't have to elaborate if it makes you uncomfortable," Chief interrupted.

Avery shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's better if I get this out in the open…" She tried looking up at him, but found it hard and instead looked towards the team. She was more comfortable and trusting with them anyway. "I didn't swim. That was the problem. As soon as I hit that freezing water, my thoughts were cloudy and I couldn't fully register what was going on. I just… let myself sink. And then I realized there wasn't any air. I was choking, drowning, and I knew it. I tried to swim up, but I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't break the surface in time. And then… nothing. I woke up. What happened after that we already know."

There was an uneasy silence as this new information sunk in, new thoughts and suspicions rising up in the team's minds.

Robin was the first to speak, "If you didn't hit your head, how _did_ you lose your memory?"

"And how did you wind up in the bay?" Raven added, standing up again and crossing her arms in thought.

"I believe those are questions we're yet to find out," Chief replied, looking through another file and tossing it to the side. "First thing's first," he folded his hands and rested his round chin on them, directing his attention towards Avery, "there's just no way I can have all these files sorted through by the end of today. I'm sorry. What I can do is have flyers posted around the city with your picture on it, and hope someone recognizes you and calls the station. Until someone calls or I find a file that matches your description, I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do."

Avery nodded, the hope that fluttered in her stomach long forgotten. "I understand. Thank you."

"Right then, you'll need a place to stay until then," Chief Daniels added.

Avery felt a slither of panic rise in her chest. "I hadn't thought of that," she said worriedly. "I-I don't have anywhere to go, I-"

"It's okay," Chief interrupted, putting up a reassuring hand to silence her, "We have several foster homes in the city who would be happy to take you in."

A weird, unfamiliar sense of disappointment mixed with a boatload of false relief overwhelmed Avery. A foster home didn't sound all that appealing to her. She almost asked if there were any better options, but forced herself not to, thinking that would be rude. _I should accept his offer with gratitude and a smile. A foster home is a hell of a lot better than sleeping on the street. I should be happy that I have somewhere to go for the night, and possibly the next night, possibly for a week. How long could this last?_

As Chief Daniels waited for the amnesiac's reply, Cyborg silently nudged Robin, giving him a certain look only the Boy Wonder would understand. He nodded, just barely enough so that only Cyborg could see it.

"There'll be no need for that, Chief," Robin said. Avery looked up at him, glad the attention was lifted off her for even a second. "She can stay with us, for the time being."

Avery turned back to Chief, awaiting his reply. Chief, indecisively, said, "Are you sure?"

"It'll be no problem," Robin replied with a no-big-deal wave of his hand. "We've got plenty of room."

Chief shrugged, as if saying "Eh, what the hey? Let's see how it works out." Instead he said, "Okay. I'll give you a call if I find anything."

"Thank you, Sir, for everything," Avery thanked him as she stood up. He said it was no problem, that it was merely his job, and escorted them to the hallway.

Avery was sort of… happy? Relieved? She didn't know why Robin had offered for her to stay with them in their home. _The heroes' home. Practically their headquarters. And they offered it to me like it was a motel._ But she knew better than to question their motives. Hey, it was a LOT better than staying in a foster home according to her book. Being surrounded by all those orphans would just make her question whether she had parents for herself or not. It would drive her insane. Plus, their tower looked pretty big. She didn't put it past them to have some pretty cool stuff in there.

Chief had Officer Hoskins come back in and take a digital picture of her. Chief promised to take care of the flyers, and Avery left the station with the Teen Titans.


	7. Chapter 7

Avery sat up like a rocket, panting heavily and sweat making her hair stick to her neck. Someone had placed a wool blanket over her, and now it was crumpled at her ankles. She knew she had just woken up from a nightmare, the immediate sense of relief as she woke up made that obvious, but what the dream was about she couldn't remember. Like so many other things in her life.

She groaned and nuzzled her head back into the cushions, shifting positions on the Titan's couch (which was actually _extremely_ comfy) that she had slept on last night. Her back ached, and her muscles implored to move, preventing her from going back to sleep. Opening her fatigued eyes once again, she estimated it was around 9am from the position of the sun over the city. Forcing her languid body off the warm, inviting cushions, the amnesic girl sat up, half slouching.

The muscles in her abnormally long legs and thin torso and back screamed to move around. Subconsciously, Avery reached her arms over her head, arching her back and extending her legs with pointed toes. The action felt _fabulous_.

Avery found herself arching her back even further, rotating so that she was hanging upside down over the couch. Before she knew what she was doing, she let out a moan of bliss, twisting her torso left and right so she stretched every muscle in her back. Avery ended up rolling backwards off the couch and sprawling across the floor next to the table. She tossed and turned this way and that, stretching her limbs and extending her legs, whimpering from the small pain that quickly turned into delight as she folded and unfolded herself.

Avery heard the whiz of the automatic door opening, and looked up to see Starfire waltzing in. The alien noticed their guest, sprawled on the carpet, and almost gasped.

"Friend Avery! Are you hurt?" Starfire asked anxiously, flying over to Avery and landing lightly next to her.

"No, I'm fine," Avery mumbled tiredly. "I just… really need to… stretch."

The alien tilted her head in confusion. "Are you not doing the stretching now?"

Avery groaned again, rolling up so she was sitting on her knees. "Yeah, but, I need… like, a larger extent. I don't know why, I just don't feel _fully_ stretched, you know?"

Starfire didn't get to answer -Avery didn't think she had one anyway- because Cyborg and Beast Boy came in then, big grins adorning their faces.

"Good morning' sunshine!" Cyborg greeted the still-sleepy guest. Avery cracked a grin. So far, Cyborg was definitely her favorite person.

"Want some breakfast?" Beast Boy asked, heading for the kitchenette.

"Oh no! The girl just woke up from unconsciousness yesterday, and already you want to poison her with tofu? No way," Cyborg insisted, pointing a mockingly angry finger at his friend. Directed his attention back to Avery, and a big grin on his half metal face, he said "We're makin' you a _real_ breakfast! What d'you like? Pancakes? Sausage, muffins, eggs, toast, waffles? Either way we're making waffles. Everybody loves waffles!"

While he spoke, Raven, Robin, and Bumblebee entered the room as well, seeming happy that they walked in on the mention of breakfast.

Avery's grin turned into a laugh. "I'll only eat pancakes if they're chocolate chip, and sausage, eggs, and waffles sound amazing. Got any chocolate milk?"

"You like chocolate soy milk?" BB replied, earning a warning glare from Cyborg.

"Yes, we have good ol' regular _non-soy_ choco milk. The King of all dairy drinks!" Cy declared.

Avery chuckled again, "Someone's been watching a bit too much Spongebob lately, huh?" Beast Boy pointed and laughed at his robotic friend, while the metal-man himself just rolled his eyes and continued preparing breakfast.

"Friend Avery," Starfire said eagerly as Avery stood up on her feet, "we have washed your clothes and they are now clean, however they are damaged."

Avery remembered the tears in her jeans and jacket. "It's okay, I can figure something out to patch up the holes-"

"Absolutely not!" Starfire exclaimed. "I shall not allow my new friend to wear damaged clothing! Which is why I invite you to join Bumblebee, Raven and I to the mall of shopping after the morning feast!"

"Wait, what?" Raven said from the table, looking up at the mention of her name.

"It will be a most glorious time!" Starfire continued, "Perhaps the bonding of girls could reveal some of your lost memories!"

"Good idea, Star," Robin appeared next to the cheery alien, "Some girl time might be good for you," he said to Avery.

Avery was suddenly overwhelmed by their hospitality. "Oh, thank you, but I couldn't let you guys buy me new clothes. I don't want to be-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Robin waved it off. "It's just clothes. You can use the Titan's card." Avery didn't look convinced. "Really, it's no big deal."

"Oh, yes, please, you must not make the large deal!" Starfire added.

Avery sighed, "Well, I guess, since I don't think I can change your minds. Alright, I'm in."

Avery enjoyed breakfast immensely. Thay all sat on stools around the island of the kitchenette, a smorgasbord of food scattered over the yellow top. Speedy had come in right after they set everything up, claiming he overslept. Avery figured as much.

Beast Boy's failed jokes, sarcastic replies from Raven, Cyborg's bellowing laugh and actually good jokes, Starfire's naïve obliviousness to it all, and Speedy and Bumblebee's stories from the Titans East all made Avery genuinely happy for a little while. If possible, she forgot the fact that she couldn't remember anything.

In the middle of a story Cyborg was telling about their trip to Japan a couple months ago, Avery found herself getting distracted by Robin and Starfire, who were sitting next to each other at the end of the island. Starfire was giggling at whatever Robin was whispering to her. Avery noticed how they were both only using one hand to eat. It looked like they were holding hands under the counter.

_They're a couple… That's so adorable!_

For the rest of the meal, every time Avery noticed them doing something couple-like she couldn't help but smile knowingly.

After breakfast, Avery, Bumblebee, Raven, and Starfire readied themselves to take a visit to Jump City Mall. That is, just Avery readied herself. She had to borrow Bumblebee's shoes again.

"Have fun. We'll be here monitoring for any other signs of the 'Master's' band of crooks. We'll let you know if we find anything big." Robin said as he gave Starfire the Titan's credit card and she tucked it into her belt. Then all three of the heroines spotted Cyborg, about to sit on the couch, and just stared at him. Aveyr didn't know why they were staring at him, but she played along anyway.

"Ahem," Bumblebee said, arching an eyebrow at Cyborg, who had only just noticed them staring at him as he took his seat on the sofa.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you think we're going to walk there, Sparky?" Bumblebee asked, putting her hands on her hips. _Oh, they want to borrow his car. That would make sense, considering I can't fly._

Cyborg just looked dumfounded and confused, until her real meaning sunk in. "Oh no, you're not driving my baby. You could just fly there!" _Apparently, he didn't get the memo…_

"Yes, because obviously I am a top notch flyer," Avery said sarcastically.

"Give us the keys," Raven said, holding out her hand.

Cyborg looked furious for a moment, completely unwilling to put his car in the hands of anyone else, even if it was his teammates and closest friends. After a second he realized he wasn't winning this argument, especially not against Raven, and he handed her the keys grumpily.

"Thanks, Sparky," Bee said smugly.

"Only Raven drives! No one else!" Cyborg yelled as the four girls exited.

"Have you driven this before or something?" Avery asked Raven once they were in the garage, loading into the T-car.

"No," Raven said simply, then, understanding what she was referring to, said, "I just understand how close Cyborg is to this car. That's all."

"Oh," Avery didn't pry any further. She may have felt closer to the team since breakfast, but she was still new to them, and them to her. Asking too many personal questions would be rude, friends or not.

Raven took her place behind the wheel, with Starfire at shotgun, and Avery and Bumblebee in the back seat. Avery sat patiently, watching in fascination for the second time as the T-car took off through a tunnel and out an opening on the back wall of the island, the car transforming to hover along over the water.

"Wow…" Avery was at a standstill, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes growing wide, as soon as she stepped out of the car and got her first look at Jump City's mall. "This place is huge…" Which was a total understatement. Avery kind of just figured the mall would be huge. It's common sense. But this place was _huge! _Think of Titan's Tower, but with only three stories, then multiply that structure by fifty. That's about what it looked like.

"This place has everything," Bumblebee said, smiling excitedly as she tugged on Avery's arm so she wouldn't get left behind. "A while ago, when the Titans East were watching over Jump, I came down here and spent three hours just on the first floor. Aqualad had to come drag me out. If Jump Mall doesn't have at least one thing that's even a little familiar to you, no place in the city will."

"That's reassuring, I guess," Avery said, distracted by the greatness of the mall.

The wide hallways that took up the interior of the mall was completely lit by sunlight. The roof was made of windows. Swarms of people pushed passed each other going in different directions on every floor. Mannequins wearing the most outrageous outfits, new technology displayed on shiny white pedestals, racks of shoes, men's and women's everyday clothing, literally everything you could hope to find in a mall were displayed in window after window down the long hallways. Avery followed alongside Bumblebee, trailing behind Raven and Starfire, who had decided to turn left and began walking.

"So, where to first?" Avery asked, trying not to sound impatient. She was itching to get into any, no _every_, store she passed. She wasn't as eager to buy as she was to just look at all the stuff.

"I don't know. It's your choice," Raven said, stopping them all short in front of some display board. It was a directory. She could barely read the list of stores because the map of the mall took up the majority of the board. She squinted at the list, trying to read it clearer.

Avery read over the list of stores under Woman's Apparel at least three times, but still none of the names tugged at her memory.

"Ugh… I'm sorry. I don't know any of these stores," she admitted.

"It is quite alright," said Starfire. "Surely the sight of these places might trigger your memories rather than just the titles. We shall explore!"

They continued down the same hallway, and Avery felt a wave of paranoia run through her. A quick glance around confirmed her suspicion: almost everyone was sneaking glances at her. No, at _them_. _They must not be use to seeing heroes doing everyday things like shopping. I wonder why- Wait. Aren't heroes suppose to have secret identities or something for this stuff?_

"Hey, I just thought," Avery said in a hushed tone to Bumblebee, "why are you guys still in uniform? Don't you have like… secret identities so all these people won't stare at you… like they kind of are right now?" _Or do you not trust me with your secret identities…? _Avery still got skeptic time after time about how far their friendliness and hospitality went.

"We don't have secret identities, well except for Robin and Speedy," she answered with a shrug. "So we pretty much just always stay in uniform."

"But you don't fight crime _all_ the time, do you?"

"You never know when someone decides to rob a bank, tantalize a family, or just blow something up," Raven added. "So you have to be always prepared."

"Oh, that makes sense… But, doesn't all this attention get… you know, annoying?" said Avery.

"You get use to it," all three of them said in unison.

For the next hour Avery had felt happier than anytime since she woke up. Yeah, so Starfire was an alien, Raven was half demon, And Bumblebee had wings, but Avery couldn't see them as anything but a trio of really great friends to her. She could barely imagine them crime fighting. _Maybe one day I'll get to see them in action personally. _

"Robin's not going to be happy when he sees this bill," Raven said as they exited another clothing store.

"We should buy a video camera and record his reaction," Avery replied without missing a beat. The three super-teens just stared at her gaping. "What?"

"This girl is a genius," Bumblebee laughed, and gave Avery a high-five. They then hunted down the nearest electronics store and bought the highest quality video camera they could find.

They visited twelve different stores before they finally braked for lunch. Starfire refused to let Avery leave one store without purchasing something, so Avery was tugging a lot of bags. She sighed with relief when she finally set her bags down at a table in the food court, and plopped herself down in a metal chair.

"Don't get tired yet, we're only half way done," Bee said, sitting down rather gracefully and crossing her legs.

"I think this is some form of cruel and unusual punishment," Avery groaned. "Seriously, guys, I don't need _this_ _many_ pairs of underwear."

"But you _do_ require an acceptable amount of shoes and hair ornaments!" Starfire countered cheerily, playing with her new hair extensions clipped into her thick red hair by purple bows.

"Yep, Star, I should be good on sparkly hair clips for the rest of my life," Avery muttered, slouching with her head tilted over the back of the chair.

"At least we got all of the essentials covered," said Raven. She set her own few bags down and used her powers to push them under the circular table. "Anybody want a milkshake?"

Avery smiled, and raised her hand high.

Two hours later, the girls had raided the second floor. They were exhausted. Starfire was floating along because she complained her feet hurt.

"I'm beat too," Avery admitted, "but, even though I'm far passed done shopping, I kind of really just want to _see_ the third floor. You know, just in case…" She left the rest of the sentence unspoken, but the other girls understood plenty.

They leaned against the railing going up the escalator, Raven using her black energy to carry all of their bags above them. Avery spotted a couple of younger girls taking pictures of them with their camera phones, and she smirked a bit. How did she get so lucky as to wind up with practically celebrities?

Avery took careful notice of every store she passed. She hadn't really been focusing much on regaining her memories through the day, so she decided to make up for her laziness this way. Before, she just wanted to hang out and have some fun after all that had happened. She figured if something really triggered some important memory, it would just come to her. But everything she saw, it was just like, "Oh yeah, there's that too. I know what that is. It's pretty much common sense." She remembered most of the things she saw like she remembered how to eat or how to read. But none of them reminded her of anything real, of anything new.

"Maybe I just grew up on the streets as a hermit, with no friends and no family," Avery sighed, feeling completely hopeless.

"Do not lose faith, friend Avery!" Starfire exclaimed next to her.

"Yeah, besides," Raven added, "I doubt a hermit could afford the leather jacket and Vans you had."

"Maybe I was a classy hermit…" Avery's voice trailed off when she saw something behind Raven's head, across the opening in the hallway that let you peer down to the bottom floors. "What's that?"

Avery speed walked around the wide opening and across the hallway, coming to a stop with the three confused heroines behind her. She stood looking up at a mannequin modeling a blue halter top leotard, thigh-high black leg warmers, and a loose, off-the-shoulder white shirt that exposed the stomach and read "Tapper" in bold black letters.

"What is this place?" Avery asked, backing up a step to see the store's sign.

"Dancing On the Moon," Raven read.

"Perhaps it is an equipment store for entertaining space dwellers," Star guessed.

"No," Avery shook her head slowly, "it's a dance store. I've been here."


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this took so long! But, you know, here it is.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers! I cherish each and every one of you and literally I get the biggest smile on my face when I see a new review.**

**I'll try to add in some more AN's every other chapter or so. But, really, I just like to tell the story, and that's that. So, here's the next chappie! I'll have another up very soon. Promise!**

Avery raced into the store without another word said. A quick look around the store put the biggest grin on her face, all teeth showing. Racks of leotards, all different colored shorts, tank tops, shrugs, and jackets stood in columns in front of dressing rooms in the very back with mirrors on the doors. Lining the walls were shelves holding every kind of dance shoe you could imagine, even foot undies and paws. A very bored young employee sat behind the check out counter that paralleled the left wall. She didn't even take notice to Avery's entrance, too enthralled in a magazine, popping her chewing gum.

All the while, Avery was just screaming in her mind, _I remember this! I remember dance! I'm a dancer! I'm not a hermit! I'm a freaking dancer!_

"Wait, so you actually remember being in here?" Bee asked as she walked in behind her. "So you _do_ live in Jump City?"

"Then why can you not recognize anything else we have seen?" Starfire asked.

Avery turned back around to face them, "Well, I'm still pretty sure I'm not from Jump. I don't think it was this exact store I always shopped in. But I definitely remember the name, and the layout of this store is pretty similar to mine. Except, the dressing rooms in mine were along the right wall in the back, and there was this white pedestal right in the center of this open floor where you would try on shoes." Suddenly words were just spewing from her mouth, and she couldn't stop them. Then again, she didn't want to. "Every week the newest tap shoe from Miller and Ben would be on display on that pedestal, but I could never get a pair because they were always way too expensive-" She gasped excitedly and zipped to the cashier. "Do you have any Miller and Ben tap shoes in stock?"

"Who are Miller and Ben?" she heard Starfire ask, but Avery ignored her.

The cashier, a girl in her early twenties with died orange hair and way too much eye liner, looked up painfully slowly at Avery, blowing a big bubble and popping it. "Um, yeah we just got some in. They're over there," she waved her hand at the wall of shoes, immediately going back to her magazine.

Avery didn't mind or mention the cashier's rude behavior, she just went straight to the shoes and started looking.

"Miller and Ben are two professional tap dancers that have their own line of tap shoes," she answered Starfire's question. "I took a master tap class with them once." Avery said the words before she fully registered their meaning. A glimpse of stage lights, tall skinny girls, and two grown men with fast feet flashed through her mind, and she was sure that that was the memory of the class she took. _Whoa, that was weird…_ However she didn't let it slow her down, and she continued searching for her shoe size, but she tucked the memory safely away for later.

"This is glorious!" Starfire exclaimed. "You are finally remembering something of your pa-"

"Got 'em!" Avery interrupted, holding up the shoe box Lion King style. She then threw the lid off and tore through the white paper inside until she uncovered the precious shoes. They were 20's style black and white lace-up size nine shoes with single-screw taps on the toes and heels.

"They look…noisy," Raven commented over Avery's shoulder.

Avery looked at her new friends with pleading eyes, "I will return everything I bought today in exchange for these shoes."

Stafire, being the über kind girl she is, and the one with the magic money card, stepped forward and placed a hand on Avery's shoulder. "Friend, if it helps you regain your memories, then there will be no need to return anything. They are our gift to you."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Did you see the price tag?"

"Forget the price tag! Try them on and show us what you got!" Bumblebee urged. "That is, assuming you know how to use those things."

"I haven't been so sure of something since I woke up from unconsciousness," Avery stepped out of Bee's sneakers and tied the tap shoes onto her feet. When she first stood, she was a tad unsure of herself, certain she would slip on the tile floor if she moved at all. But the feeling left as soon as it came.

In an instant, Avery was no longer in a dance store, no longer standing in front of three members of the Teen Titans. She was on stage, in an auditorium, with several other talented girls her age or older, in the presence of the infamous Miller and Ben.

"Hands down!" one of the duet, Avery thought it was Miller, yelled at the girl next to Avery, followed by a chorus of laughter from the group. The girl immediately dropped her hands from her hips. It was a rule established at the beginning of the class, Avery remembered. Let your arms free. Never cross them, put them on your hips, tough your face, fix your hair, scratch your butt, or anything. The rule was met by a lot of forced habits hard to be broken, and a lot of cheesy and sarcastic comments by the teachers. The teachers were corny, and their reprimands were meant to be taken as jokes, but still obeyed.

"Let's do it again," the other man, Ben, announced. "And 5, 6, 7, 8!"

Avery didn't think, she just did. Her feet took over, her instinct driving her, and her memory acting as the wheel. She performed a round of paradiddles, the first set slow, then another set double-time. Then she transitioned into single buffalos, then right into a waltz clog with a pick-up. There was no music playing, only the sounds of a dozen dancers tapping simultaneously, making their own music with their feet.

Avery found herself moving so fast, so gracefully, her feet so light on the floor yet making the loudest of sounds. And she just kept going, not wanting to stop.

She did stop, however, when someone crashed to the ground. But it wasn't just a _thump_, it sounded like a wall of glass crashing down on someone. The walls of her memory melted away, and she was back in the store again, with three heroines now on high alert.

"What was that?" Bumblebee asked, her wings flapping a hundred times a heart beat to keep her floating in the air. What sounded like a crowd screaming in terror came from outside the store, probably on a lower floor too.

"Let's find out," Raven said. A dark energy grew around her, and pulled her cowl over her head, covering half her face. Avery followed as they flew out of the store, the tap shoes still on her feet. She slid to a stop, almost crashing into the glass railing rimmed with gold painted metal, and she leaned over to see what the commotion was all about. The Titans hovered in the air above the opening, peering down to see what the threat was.

The window to some fancy jewelry store that Avery didn't bother going in earlier was blown to bits. Glass littered the tile floor in all directions. Teenagers and mothers with their children screamed and ran away in terror. A little girl with a bleeding leg cowered behind an empty baby carriage just across the hall. An older woman, probably the mother, held an infant to her chest with one arm. The other arm was limp and twisted in an odd direction, and her foot was twisted at an odd angle as well.

The surrounding stores closed their doors and closed the curtains or blinds, if they had them, in their windows. It was a scene of chaos. Avery looked up at the few members of the Titans, and decided they looked ready to put the chaos back in order.

In battle mode, the three girls looked entirely different. Raven looked dark, and kind of scary. Avery couldn't see her face with her hood up, but her mouth was pressed in a tight line, like she was concentrating hard. Bumblebee held these two golden weapons that Avery couldn't really tell the use of. Starfire looked the most different. Instead of the bubbly, innocent little alien girl, a fierce warrior with glowing green orbs surrounding her hands and green glowing eyes stood in her place.

"Oh great, it's the Ice Twins," Bee groaned. A teenage boy with yellow hair and a grumpy attitude, wearing a blue snow suit and goggles covering his eyes, stepped out over the broken glass in the window and aimed his weird looking blue gun at the injured family across the hall, shouting something unintelligible at them. Avery took a wild guess and presumed his twin was still inside the store.

"But I thought they were in Keystone City," said Starfire.

"Kid Flash and Jinx must've scared them off," replied Raven.

"So they came here?" Bee scoffed with a laugh. "They must be stupider then they look."

"No matter their appearance or their intelligence factor, they are heading downward!" Starfire announced.

Bee gave her a look.

"I think she means they're going down," Raven supplied. Then she balled her hands and pointed down at the villains and screamed, "Titans GO!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Yo readers! Just warning you I'm probably not going to update for just a couple days after this. Super busy. Also, who's ready for the Korra finale? XD I'm pumped! **

**I love each and every one of you, and reviews are cherished!**

The girls flew into action, literally. Avery bolted to the escalator to get a better view, but was stopped short by a very annoyed voice.

"Hey, you gotta pay for those," Avery turned and saw the grumpy clerk tapping her foot impatiently in the doorway of the store.

"Right, um, hold on a sec," Avery went back into the store, her tap shoes making loud clacks on the floor. She slid on her hip, and pulled the shoes off her feet and delicately but swiftly placed them back in the box, pulling on Bumblebee's sneakers without missing a beat.

"Hold onto these for me," Avery panted, placing the shoe box on the check out counter. "I'll be back."

"Okay, but if somebody comes in and wants 'em, I'm not ganna let them buy 'em," the clerk warned.

"I highly doubt anyone's going to come in before I get back," Avery assured the girl before running out the door straight to the escalator.

One of them had moved the injured mother and her children to a safer area, and an icy war was brewing between the boy and Starfire. The kid shot blasts at her, huge shards of ice at amazing speeds, but Starfire just shot her green energy orbs one after the other, each one melting the ice shard before it could reach her.

Something flew out of the window, leaving a trail behind. Avery thought it was another boy, possibly the other boy's twin, but then realized that this was a girl, wearing a similar suit and goggles but with longer blonde hair held in a ponytail. She was creating a path of ice as she slid along it, the ice winding a twisting like a roller coaster. Bumblebee flew after her, creating large bolts of golden electricity with her weapons to break the ice coaster. _So that's what those things do! _But the girl was creating ice faster then Bee could break it.

Raven flew out of the store only seconds later. Her eyes glowed white, and she spoke some mantra that Avery could barely hear, let alone understand. A black energy orb surrounded the ice girl, encasing her in total darkness, and lowered her to the ground. More black energy encased a chunk of ice that fell off of the girl's ice coaster, and rose off the ground, levitating behind the boy still shooting ice at Star. Before the boy could notice it, the ice whacked him in the back of the head, hard, and he fell unconscious.

The entire fight lasted barely a minute. Everything happened so fast, Avery could barely keep up. A group of mall security showed up and handcuffed the Ice Twins, holding them until the cops showed up. Avery slid down the escalator, and ran up to the Titans.

"That was incredible! I was wondering when I'd get to see you guys in action! But man, it wasn't like anything I expected!" She gushed, her arms held out wide for emphasis.

"We could say the same to you, Ms. Fancy Feet," Bumblebee said, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Please," Avery waved the notion off, "what I did in there was nothing compared to what you guys did out here."

"It was all in a minute's work!" Starfire said cheerfully.

"You mean 'All in a day's work'," Raven corrected her.

"No, I believe the fight was more of a minute," Star countered, earning a laugh from Avery.

They returned to the dance store, and Avery bought the shoes -which nobody bought while she was gone, therefore giving her the right to gloat a little to the clerk- along with a couple pairs of dance shorts, a leotard, a pair of foot undies, and canvas ballet slippers. Starfire claimed it was all in favor to "regain her memory." Avery knew they were just being nice.

"What the- HOW MUCH DID YOU BUY?" Robin's face turned as red as his shirt as he fumed, looking at the sea of bags the girls carried in.

Raven walked behind Cyborg on the couch, dropping his car keys in his lap and then floating back around to the kitchenette. Avery and Bumblebee sat themselves down on the chairs across from the kitchenette, and Starfire floated over to her boyfriend, hopefully to calm him down.

"Oh, shopping went fine, thank you for asking," Bumblebee gushed sarcasm. "It's not like we ran into any trouble or anything. Not like the Ice Twins decided to hop a train over to Jump City and rob Kay's Jewelers, and we totally kicked their butts or anything."

"I thought those two were in Keystone," Speedy said from the couch. He was currently facing Beast Boy and Cyborg at a racing game, and Speedy was winning without even paying much attention.

"They were. But now they're here," Raven replied, boiling water for herself and getting out her tea bags. "We should give Kid Flash a call and ask if he wants them back in his city's prison. You know how much he likes to keep a close eye on his villains."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Well I'm glad you guys are all okay. Good work," said Robin, placing a hand on Starfire's shoulder and making the alien blush, and making Avery burst from adorableness **((AN: I can't believe adorableness is actually a word…)) **on the inside. "But seriously," Robin took a step back, "you had to BUY THE ENTIRE MALL?"

Bumblebee rolled her eyes, and Avery shrunk into her seat, casting a last glance at the couple. She could just barely see Starfire grimacing, with a sincerely apologetic look in her eyes.

"Robin, you gave a loaded credit card to four teenage girls and practically told them to buy anything we want," Raven said, mixing her tea with scary aplomb after his outburst. "What did you think was going to happen?"

Robin face-palmed in frustration, then collected the really overused card from his girlfriend.

"Damn, is this all for you?" Avery heard a voice say next to her. She looked around and saw Speedy looking through one of her bags.

"No," she replied crossly, "it's not _all _for me."

"Sweet, did you get me anything?" He smirked and wagged his eyebrows.

Avery just scoffed and marched toward him, ripping the bag out of his hand. _Why is he so self centered? _"No! It was a _girl's _day out. And for the record, Bee, Star and Raven got themselves stuff too." Not much, she knew, but she wasn't going to tell him that. The last thing she needed was for someone to make her seem like she was taking advantage of their hospitality, which was the exact opposite of what she was trying to do.

He ignored her and opened another bag while she told him off. She didn't even notice which bag it was.

"Ballet slippers? You really needed ballet slippers?" Avery could tell he wanted to laugh, but he was holding it in.

Avery blushed and angrily grabbed for the Dancing On the Moon bag, but he held it out of her reach, looking farther through it.

"Oh yes!" Starfire remembered, "Wonderful news! Avery has learned something of her past!"

"Really?" asked Cyborg, turning from his videogame now alone with Beast Boy.

"Let's hear it!" said Beast boy, who abandoned the game and morphed into a hummingbird, flying over to Avery and seating himself where she had been sitting only a moment ago, back in human form. He reminded Avery of a little kid ready for story time.

"If Speedy here would kindly give me back the bag," Avery said, forcing politeness through her teeth as she held her hand out to the teasing archer, "then I would gladly show you."

Avery couldn't see Speedy's eyes under the mask, but she bet he was rolling them as he handed the shopping bag back to her.

She took it with a sarcastic smile, then took out her new tap shoes and tied them on.

She dug back into her memory, pulling back the routine from the master class she had remembered. She didn't want to stand there trying to remember some new moves while looking like an idiot in front of the Teen Titans who were waiting for her to do something. She took a deep breath, let it out, and let her feet do all the talking. This time, she finished the routine, without any interruptions. She performed a fast toe-hop-step-toe-hop-step turn, finishing it off with three stamps, right-left-right.

The biggest and most prideful smile adjourned her face when she finished. She felt amazing, accomplished, more alive than ever! For once since she woke up, she didn't feel uncertain, shy, awkward, lost, or, most importantly, forgetful. She felt, for the first time, free.

A small round of applause and some whoops of admiration erupted from the Titans, causing a blush to creep onto Avery's pale face.

"So she can make some sounds with her feet," said Speedy, sounding mostly unimpressed. "Big whoop."

_Jeez, what is his problem?_

"Yeah, whatever, Ginger. I don't need your approval," Avery waved him off, sitting back down to untie her laces.

"Well I thought it was cool," Beast Boy admitted with a friendly smile. Avery returned the smile, grateful for the kid's kindness compared to Speedy's brutality.

"I say we celebrate Avery's new discovery," Cyborg suggested. "Let's go get PIZZA!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, sorry for the wait. I've literally written, erased, an rewritten this chapter around three times. So I hope you enjoy this freaking chapter that caused me so much pain.**

_**BRRRRRRNNNNNN! BRRRRRRNNNNNNN! BRRRRRRNNNNNNNN!**_

Red lights flashed and colored the entire room in sync with an obnoxiously loud warning buzzer that could be heard throughout the whole tower.

"Sorry, Cyborg," Robin said, running to the computer and turning on the monitor, just as the wall-sized middle window turned into a screen showing the map of the city with a blinking red dot hovering over one specific area. "Pizza will have to wait. We've got trouble."

"What's going on?" Avery asked, standing up and trying to project her voice over the alarm.

"Bank robbery, the thieves unknown to us, and they've got hostages," Robin answered swiftly. He then turned around and looked at Avery with the most serious expression she'd seen on him yet. He was in leader mode, she realized. "Avery, we need you to stay here." She nodded wordlessly, completely understanding why. He then addressed the rest of his team and gave the same sound off Raven had given earlier that day. "Titans, GO!"

All too fast they were gone, though as Avery watched the heroes fly or run out the door time slowed down just a little. She could see the determination etched into their faces as they ran past her, each of them ready for anything thrown at them, completely in battle mode. It was almost inspiring.

When they were all gone, and the doors slid closed behind them, the alarm sounded a few more times and then stopped along with the red light. And suddenly Avery was surrounded by heavy silence. The Tower seemed a million times bigger now that she was alone.

Sighing, she slid back down into the chair and finished taking off her new tap shoes. She took off her socks too, and stuffed them in the bag of dance wear. The cold marble floor felt nice on her bare feet. She sighed again. How long the Titans would be gone for was a complete mystery. Using the time she had productively seemed like a good idea.

She went to the computer Robin had occupied just a moment ago, and turned it back on. The monitor buzzed to life. The map of Jump City was still projected onto the large window monitor screen. Avery exited out of the map and opened up an internet browser. The one discipline of dance she knew she was familiar with was tap. If she researched dance some more, maybe she could figure out what other types of dance she knew, and in turn find out more about herself.

She made it simple, and just typed in the word _dance_. The first link listed was the Dance Wikipedia page, then some local dance studios, _Dance Magazine_'s website, dance wear sites, images for dance, and a dance show on Fox. She clicked on the last link, and it brought her to a page on FOX's website for a TV show called So You Think You Can Dance.

_Watch full episodes. Meet the top 20. National Dance Day. Audience tickets. So You Think You Can Dance Experience. _Informational messages along with links and pictures flashed on a banner at the top of the page. Below it, more links to other pages were listed side by side.

She scrolled down the page until she saw a list of episodes. She clicked on the most recent one, and a video box popped up. She clicked play, and set the video to full screen. Plopping back on the couch, she watched the episode patiently, listening to the dancers' stories about how far they've come and the judges' opinions. Finally, the pretty blonde host with the exotic accent showed on screen, introducing a soloist. The camera turned and zoomed into a stage, lit up with blue and white lights. A spotlight shone over a tall muscular man with dark chocolate skin, dressed up in a simple half unbuttoned white shirt and loose kaki shorts, and no shoes. The audience cheered loudly, and they didn't quiet down until soft music bellowed over them.

Avery didn't know the song, and frankly she didn't pay any attention to it anyway. She was completely hypnotized by the dancer's movements. _Lyrical_, the style was called. She remembered it immediately. _I use to think it was like a mixture of jaz and ballet, but then learned it was all about emotion, expressing the meaning of the lyrics of the song, hence the name _lyrical.

The dancer leaped half his height into the air, turned what seemed like ten pirouettes in a row, and practically laughed in gravity's face as he threw himself into the air and landed rolling on the floor and picking himself back up without a scratch, bruise, or any sort of pain visible. He was invincible.

_Could I do that?_ Avery wondered. There was just enough room between the yellow circular table and the sink-in wall to try. She rewound the video, and scrutinized his moves intently. Rewinding the video again, she attempted the moves, mimicking him as close as she could. They came to her more easily than she expected, for the first few. But then when she tried a high side kick, an agonizing pull in her leg prevented her from kicking as high as the dancer in the video could.

She flashed back to this morning, when she woke up.

"_Are you not doing the stretching now?"_

"_Yeah, but, I need… like, a larger extent. I don't know why, I just don't feel fully stretched, you know?"_

_Fully stretched…_

Avery plopped onto the ground, spreading her legs out into a straddle, and reached for her ankle, feeling the stretch and pull in her hamstring. _This is it! This is what I needed. This morning, I felt so stiff, and what I needed was to stretch. It all makes sense. And it feels so familiar, so _good_. As a dancer, I need to keep my flexibility, and after not stretching for who knows how long, my body became stiff and I lost some of my flexibility. Well now I'm going to gain it back…_

Avery focused on stretching her legs, loosening up her hamstring and Achilles tendon. She slid into her right split, but to her dismay, she couldn't fall all the way into it.

_How long has it been since I last did my split?_

She collapsed out of it, stretched both her hamstrings and her pelvis in deep lunges, then slid back into her split. _No use… No matter. I'll stretch every day until I get my full flexibility back. _

_Why _getting her flexibility back was so important was unknown and unthought-of to her. It might have been, in her subconscious, the first step to regaining her memory. First she regains her flexibility, then she regains her dancing, and eventually she regains her memory. It was the only thing she could remember, making it the only the she had to work with. So she'd take what she had, and work with it.

A half hour later, Avery had attempted the routine again and again until she lost count. It was so much different than tapping. The fully in-control, and sometimes not so in-control, movements, jumps, and turns, took every ounce of energy out of her. Every time she finished the routine, she wanted to collapse on the ground, but instead she just rewound the video and did it again.

Dancing bare foot was so much different than wearing shoes. She could actually point her foot, a feat she didn't even think of wearing her tap shoes. She didn't know just how much she missed the feeling of pointing her foot into a beautiful arch. Of course, she would have never known had she never found that dance store.

_Thank whoever's in charge up there I found that dance store…_

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Speedy laughed in the backseat of the T-car.

"Yes, Speedy, we saw them. We were all there," Raven said from the passenger seat, rolling her violet eyes.

"Especially that one guy, when he flew back into that other guy!" He ignored her, cracking up even more. "Oh man, I will not ever _un_-see that!"

"Is this how you guys feel when I laugh at something you don't think is all that funny?" Beast Boy asked, leaning slightly away from the overly amused archer in the middle of him and Robin.

"Yes," Cyborg, Raven, and Robin all replied simultaneously. Speedy continued to babble on about the robbery and Beast Boy continued to wish he had opted for flying back to the tower with Starfire and Bumblebee.

"I wonder how Avery is," Robin said, changing the subject.

"I'm sure she's fine," Cyborg answered. They were pulling up to the Tower now, and Cyborg slowed the T-car as they entered the garage.

As soon as the Titans entered the common room, they stood at the doorway frozen. Music was blaring, the monitor was playing a video of a dancer from the last season of So You Think You Can Dance, and there was Avery, doing the dance with him.

Every turn, every jump, every little movement was sharp, precise, and then slow and soft. Beast Boy whistled, impressed.

That whistle jolted Avery out of her concentration, and she stumbled out of her turn, crashing to the floor. The audience winced in unison, before running up to her to see if she was okay.

Avery blushed with embarrassment, laughing nervously, "Eh, hehe, hey guys."

She accepted Cyborg's hand and she stood up, rubbing her bruised hip.

"What was THAT?" Cyborg asked, astonished.

"Um, I fell…?" She responded confusedly.

"No, what was all that turning, and jumping and _whoosh, kyaaa, fssshhhh!_" Cyborg impersonated her, waving his arms around in big arcs.

"That certainly wasn't tap dancing," Bumblebee noted, putting her hands on her hips and smirking.

"No," Avery shook her head, smiling to herself, "that was…" She couldn't find the words to finish it.

"Amazing?" Beast Boy offered. "Mind blowing? Totally insanely cool?"

"It was just dancing," she countered with a on-shouldered shrug.

"Just dancing?" Bee reiterated in disbelief. "Girl, why didn't you tell us you could move like that?"

"Move like what? I could barely get my full extension in that side tilt and my pirouettes were obviously wobbly and not centered if I fell out of it. Plus, I still haven't figured out that attitude leap turn-"

"Atti what now?" asked Raven.

"Avery, chill out," Beast Boy soothed, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She brushed his hand off and stepped back, making sure she addressed all of them so her message was clear. "I _am _chill! And it was _not_ 'totally insanely cool.' I would know, I was the one dancing. I finally remember something, and it's a skill that I obviously need to build on. The only thing I can do is keep practicing and keep learning. As long as I do that, eventually something will click. I'm going to stretch and dance every day if that's what it takes."


	11. Chapter 11

The squeaking of leather on polished tiled floors echoed through the hallway. It was very poorly lit. Only a few torches along the cement walls provided just enough light to see ahead. A cold chill filled the air, a stark contrast to the humid temperature above ground, several stories above the base.

There were no guards posted in front of the metal doors at the end of the hall, like there were for most of the entrances in the upper levels. This special room didn't need protecting. Nothing of any value or outsider interest was kept inside this room. It was strictly used for business, for specific meetings like the one assembled now.

A brooding figure pushed open the heavy metal doors, letting in a whoosh of cold air. They closed swiftly behind him, made that way so that as little heat could escape and as little cold could get in whenever they were opened. The recruits needed a calming heated temperature, since the cold was damaging to their mental systems. The room was fully composed of metal. Iridescent lights lined the ceiling, making it a bit brighter than out in the hall. The room was small, only meant to hold a couple dozen people comfortably.

"There you are," a sharp voice scolded as he entered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I've had a lot on my mind," he apologized.

He examined the newest recruits he had collected himself. They stood in parade rest, side by side in a perfectly straight line. There were few of them. Only four. It took precious time, observance, and ruthless cunning to choose and recruit each one. They had to be strong, smart, ready to take on anything. They had to be _perfect_ if they were going to be the future security.

"As you may know, I am taking a leave of absence, starting today. This is your new Demi Master, who will substitute me for the time being," he waved a hand at the substitute beside him, just a few inches shorter, but just as intimidating to the recruits. "You will obey her completely until I resume my position. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Demi Master," the recruits chorused detachedly.

He nodded in approval, then turned to his substitute, who looked up at him with knowing eyes. "I'll be expecting a full report of their progress for the Ultra Master when I return."

"As you wish," she nodded respectfully, secretly smirking to herself.

He looked back at his recruits, "You are dismissed." Immediately, the group snapped to attention, and marched out a door in the back, one that lead to several halls and containment units, single file.

"'A lot on your mind,' huh?" the substitute sneered once they were alone, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes," he grumbled.

"Hm, I see," she put her fore finger and her thumb to her chin thoughtfully, even though she knew exactly what was on his mind.

He grinded his teeth, aggravated with her, and everything else. "Forget it," he snapped. "Look, I don't want any funny business while I'm gone. Just train them, see how they do on the field, deliver the message, and move on."

"Oh, you know I'll get the job done," she said calmly, the usual devious glint in her eyes. "Just remember, I'm doing you a _favor_, baby sitting your recruits while you go and find more recruits." She poked a manicured finger at his chest. "Maybe if you spent less time gathering recruits individually, and more time with the ones you have, then perhaps your division might be as successful as mine."

"_Your_ division?" his face turned red with rage, heat practically coming out of his ears. "Your division is a motley group of hyped up nerds! Go to any high school with an academics team and your job is done! I have to find able bodies that are-"

"Yeah, yeah, 'strong, quick witted, and ready for action at a moment's notice without being well known,' just like Dad said," she mocked, waving her hand back and forth as she walked around him.

"We're suppose to address him as Ultra Master," he reminded her, glaring at her over his shoulder before turning all the way around to face her.

"Only in front of the divisions, you sissy. Lighten up. You're my brother. A Demi Master. Start acting like it."

He sighed. "Whatever. I'll be back in a few weeks. More or less. Will your division be ready with the new tech by the time I get back?"

She almost snorted. "Please. My division was suppose to have it ready by the end of the week. But, since you've extended the deadline, I can have them tweak it a bit more, and increase production."

"Fine. You should increase production anyway. When I get back, I'll have tons of more recruits. More muscle. More minds. More-"

"Okay, don't get ahead of yourself. Just make sure to bring back more than you did last time. It was a real disappointment."

He sighed again, dropping his head so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. "I know."


	12. Chapter 12

"So… exactly how does this meditating thing work?" Avery asked, shifting to a more comfortable position. She realized she didn't like sitting Indian style all that much, but that's how Raven was sitting so she thought it was best to just mimic her. Raven, who sat about two feet away facing her, looked much more comfortable and natural in the pose. Surprisingly, so did Starfire, who also sat across from her, next to Raven. Perhaps they were more comfortable because they were floating half a foot in the air.

_How do they have the energy to do this so early in the morning?_

Starfire had practically dragged Avery off the couch at the break of dawn to bring her up on the roof to meditate.

"Meditation can help clear the mind, and with a clear mind the barriers in your head may open and then you may explore your memories!" She had explained.

"You just need to relax," said Raven, "but before we do that, let's go over what you've remembered."

"I don't like water, and I can dance," Avery replied bluntly. "Honestly, there isn't much else to it."

"That's not true," Raven countered.

"Huh?"

"You're pretty persistent."

"We watched you stretching last night," Star added a beat after her. Avery blushed a bit, suddenly really self conscious. She hadn't noticed anyone watching her. "You are very dedicated."

"You also don't like silence," Raven added, and they alternated.

"You can recognize the words from television programs, like the square shaped Porifera."

"You mean Spongebob Squarepants?" Avery asked.

"You enjoy music," Raven continued.

"You like the chocolate cracker pancakes for the morning meal."

"She means chocolate chip."

"And you don't seem to like mornings…"

"No duh," Avery yawned while rubbing her eye. "Wow, I guess my subconscious leaked more than I thought."

"It'll do that now and then," said Raven. "Okay, time to concentrate. The key to meditating is total relaxation. You have to just let your entire self be free, and clear your mind. It should be quiet enough up here to-"

"YOOOOO IS ANYODY UP HERE?"

A shriek escaped Avery's mouth and she nearly fell backwards. Raven and Starfire had dropped to the ground in surprise and they grimaced in pain.

"Well, if I wasn't awake before I certainly am now," Avery blinked, her heart slowing back down to normal speed.

"What do you want, Speedy? We're meditating," Raven growled, standing up and brushing herself off as said interrupting archer strolled forward, barely containing a chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm trying to clear my mind here," Avery stood up as well, her annoyance with the ginger increasing rapidly.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not very hard to do," he snickered.

_And the annoyance grows stronger…_

"Is something the matter, Speedy?" Starfire asked. If she was annoyed with him, like both Raven and Avery were, she was really good at concealing it.

"Yeah, Cyborg's calling a meeting."

"Cyborg?" Raven propped an eyebrow. "Usually Robin calls the meetings."

"Yeah, well Cy supposedly found a lead on the guy we're after, so he wants everybody down there." He shrugged.

Raven and Starfire shared a look, then nodded and headed for the roof access door. Avery followed after them, but was stopped by Speedy's hand blocking her way.

"This is strictly Titans business, Blondie. It's probably best if you don't get in the way."

_Get in the way? _"I realize that, Ginger, but I wasn't planning on staying on the roof."

"Maybe you should, just in case," Avery's jaw dropped at his suggestion. In her peripheral vision she saw Raven literally come up through the floor behind Speedy and smack him across the head.

"C'mon you two," she nodded towards the door and they both followed after her. Speedy complained saying how that was uncalled for and how he was only kidding, and Avery rolled her eyes and smacked him on the head in the same fashion.

He whirled around to face her. "Ow! What was _that_ for?"

"Just a little reminder that I don't mess around," she narrowed her eyes in warning. He snorted and continued back into the Tower.

Avery stayed out of the meeting anyway. All the Titans had gathered in the monitor room. She decided to stay in the common room, flipping through TV channels sprawled across the middle of the couch.

Was Speedy right? Did she really get in the way like he said? Was her presence in general a distraction and a bother? _No, that's ridiculous. They're helping me. They gave me a home while I figure all this junk out. Plus, I'm their friend…_

Maybe Avery had to face facts: she wasn't a Titan. She wasn't one of them. The amnesiac couldn't get involved in things like meetings. She just didn't belong. _The fact that I'm not a Titan doesn't mean I don't belong. The only one who seems to have a problem with me is Speedy. And what do I care? Who cares what Speedy thinks of me?_

She was probably better off staying at a foster home. A hero's headquarters isn't a motel. _Look at what that arrogant, self-centered archer's done to me! He's planted these ridiculous notions in my head just to freak me out. The Titans are my friends. They're going to help me figure out who I am and get me back home. _

She sighed, turning the TV off and standing up. She circled to the back of the couch, and bent backwards until her hands hit the floor and she was in a bridge. Her stomach stretched, and she felt her muscles loosen. _I just need to relax. Breathe in, and out. Forget what Speedy said. Forget Speedy in general…_ She raised her heals into releve, her claves tightening as her foot arched.

_No. Don't forget Speedy. Keep what he said in mind, just shove it to the very back of the mind. You've done enough forgetting lately. You can't really afford to forget anything else._ She tried kicking her feet over, but her arms gave out and she collapsed on the ground, a pain running through her shoulder as it collided with the floor. She sat up, ignoring the pain, and raised her arms above her head, arching her back._ If I forget anything else, I think I'd lose my mind completely._

Out of boredom she slid into her straddle split, resting her elbows on the ground in front of her to be comfortable, her rear against the couch. Her bare feet stretched and pointed automatically, helping her push forward. She inched herself a little further, so that her stomach was just barely on the ground. She had sat like this, watching television, for a half hour that morning after she finished all of her stretches. _Hmm, this is more calming than the meditation position. _

Avery hummed to herself, playing with the hem on the sleeve of her new shirt. It was one of those loose ones that ended just below her belly button, faded baby blue with some weird abstract navy design. That with a navy sports bra underneath and a pair of stretchy material skinny jeans, she was content. They were regular street clothes that she could be flexible in. But she had bought so _many_ clothes. She had figured out a way to organize all of them into only four bags. She kept them under the table in front of the sofa in the Titan's common room. _I should return some of that stuff, and buy more dance clothes. It's not like I really have anywhere to wear all that fancy stuff to._

"Hey, Avery! We're going- Whoooooaaaaaa," Beast Boy came running in through the door, halting in front of her. "Uh, are we interrupting something?" Starfire and Speedy came trailing behind him.

"Ouch, I'm in pain just watching you sit like that, Blondie," Speedy commented, making a pained face, his arms crossed in front of his chest in a reserved way as usual.

Avery pulled through her split so that she was on her stomach, and tucked her toes, pushing herself up into a downward dog position, and walked her hands into her feet until she could balance and stand upright. "It's not that painful, Ginger. Actually it's pretty relaxing."

"In what universe could that be relaxing?" He retorted. "And stop calling me Ginger."

"I'll stop calling you Ginger when you stop calling me Blondie," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest, mirroring him.

"Then I believe we've reached an impasse."

"Please, stop arguing!" Starfire pleaded.

"It's okay, Star," Avery assured her friend, giving her a warm smile that didn't completely convince the alien. "We're not arguing. He just can't take pride in his hair color."

"What? You're such a hypocri-"

"Oh, glorious!" Star interrupted Speedy before he could start ranting. "There will be no fighting amongst one another today!"

"Right…" Somehow Avery wasn't so sure her and Speedy were on "no fighting" grounds just yet. "So what's up? Did you guys track the villain you're after?"

"Oh! Uhh-" Star started, kind of flustered.

"It was a false alarm," Beast Boy answered for her. "So we're using the time to gorge ourselves with pizza!"

"Yes!" Starfire agreed joyously. "We shall gorge until we can gorge no more!"

"Can we please stop saying 'gorge?'" Speedy asked at the same time Avery said, "The four of us?"

They ignored Speedy, and paid their attention to Avery instead. "Yeah," said Beast Boy. "Everyone else is busy, so it's just us."

"Oh, okay then," Avery said uncertainly, hopping over the couch and grabbing her high top sneakers from under the table. She had liked the ones she borrowed from Bumblebee, so she bought a pair for herself in a different style. Stepping into them, she smiled tentatively and said, "Let's go-"

Before she could even get the words out, Starfire took her arm and pulled her to the door, squealing anxiously and rambling about how much fun they'll have and how she'll introduce Avery to the wonders of mustard.

They went rather quickly down the stairways, and when they finally hit the warm fresh air and sunlight, Avery suddenly thought of the T-car. "Hey, how are we getting there? The T-car is in the garage, isn't it?"

"You think Cy would trust us with his car?" Speedy snickered.

"Then how-" She didn't get to finish. Beast Boy morphed into a giant pterodactyl and lifted into the air, grabbing Avery by her shoulders with his feet, his talons hooking under her arms.

She screamed, her stomach doing somersaults as she was hurled into the air and over the bay. She could feel the mist from the water hit her skin. Suddenly Beast Boy's grasp on her didn't feel tight enough. She imagined herself plummeting down and hitting the water hard, that cold, horrific pressure encasing her. She screamed louder.

"Will you stop screaming? Just relax!" Speedy yelled. Starfire was carrying him in a similar way that Beast Boy was carrying her.

"Easy for you to say! How many times have _you_ done this?" She yelled over the wind.

"I'm not sure how the Titans East travels, but we traveled this way numerous times before Cyborg built his T-car," Starfire jumped in.

"Really? So, wait, how did you get off the island? There's seriously no way? Except for flying or levitating cars?" She thought back to when she rode shotgun on their way to the police station, how she looked out the window and suddenly they were floating above the water in the car.

"No, there is. But this is much faster," said Speedy.

There was a pause of silence, no sound but the wind hurling in her ears, then a short but loud gasp escaped her mouth when Beast Boy banked a bit too low.

"Oh, stop worrying, you're perfectly safe," Speedy called.

Avery ignored him, looking up at Beast Boy's elongated face, hidden by his beak. "Beast Boy, whatever you do, don't drop me!" He cawed in response, a piercing sound that hurt her eardrums.

"He said, 'No shit,'" Speedy teased.

"You do _not_ speak pterodactyl!" She snapped.

In no time, though much longer than Avery would've liked, they were passed the water and nearing the Titan's favorite restaurant in the heart of the city. Avery recognized several roads they had driven through as she peered down at the busy city. It took a third of the time to get into this area of the city by flight than by car.

They touched ground a block away from the restaurant. Beast Boy changed back to his human form almost immediately. Avery brushed her fingers through her wind blown knotty hair, and caught some passerby's staring. She blushed, then realized they were staring at Starfire and Beast Boy. _I don't think I could ever get use to that…_

Walking along the sidewalk, Avery attempted a conversation. "So… uh, why couldn't the, uh, others come? What did they have to do that they couldn't get pizza?"

The three heroes shared a look, one that made Avery think for a second that they were going to give some lame excuse and not tell her, but then Beast Boy shrugged and casually said, "Eh, Robin's always working. He's probably looking deeper into that case with the creepy chaotic unnamed villain group. I think Cyborg wanted to fix up his car. Raven never does anything fun if she doesn't have to. I'd say she's meditating."

"What about Bee? I would think she'd be the kind of person who's into this stuff."

"Bumblebee said she wanted to check in on our teammates back in Steel City," Speedy replied, not being sarcastic for once. "She doesn't believe Aqualad can handle Mas and Menos. Frankly, I don't think Fishboy can do it either."

"Who and who now?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Aqualad! Defender of the sea! Can breathe underwater and talk to fish," Speedy said in an announcer voice, waving his arms around, back in his teasing manner.

"He sounds like a mermaid."

Speedy laughed heartily, "Except he doesn't have a fin."

"Of course, because of all things, having a fin would be absolutely crazy. Who are these Mash and Minos characters?"

"Mas and Menos," Speedy corrected her.

"Funniest little guys ever!" Beast Boy praised them.

"They are most adorable," Star added.

"Says the girl they've had a crush on since they first met her," the archer interrupted.

"Which is twice as hilarious as it was before because now it comes with Robin's reactions," said BB.

"So you two _are_ dating!" Avery elbowed Star lightly in the side, wagging her eyebrows.

"Yes, we have been relationshipping for a few months now," Star blushed madly, looking down at the sidewalk.

"I knew it! Star, that's adorable!" She playfully whacked the alien on the shoulder with the back of her hand.

"BARF," Speedy yelled obnoxiously.

Avery rolled her eyes at him and smiled at Starfire. "I bet you two make a great couple."

"We all thought so too," Beast Boy agreed, "but it still took years for them to finally get together."

The pizzeria was closer in sight now. Avery could see it fully, taking in every detail. It was built into the corner of a large sky scraper that cut the boulevard in half. It was only one story, but the roof held several tables set up with seats and red umbrellas. Above the outdoor eating area, bolted on the skyscraper, was the restaurant's sign.

"The pizzeria is called… 'Pizza…'" Avery said, coming out like a statement rather than a question.

"Ehhhhhyeeeah, Jump isn't really the best with originality," Beast Boy explained. "But, it is the best with good pizza!"

"I'll be holding you up on that," she warned playfully.

He side eyed her, a devious smirk growing across his face. "Is that a-" he sniffed the air dramatically, "a _bet_ I smell?"

She held her hands up defensively. "I didn't bet anything."

"Not that you have anything to bet," Speedy snickered.

"Hey! I'm not completely at a loss anymore!"

"What, your ballet slippers?"

Beast Boy held the door open for them, and Avery glared at Speedy as she passed him.

They sat at the farthest table on the roof, all the way in the corner, with the best view of the city avenue. Apparently this was where the Titans always sat. Not exactly reserved, it was just understood that it was theirs.

"Let's try the meat lovers' special! Cyborg said it was good, but I'll be the judge of that!" Speedy suggested, jerking his thumb at his chest.

"I'm up for the meat lovers'!" Avery declared, raising her hand. Speedy cocked an eyebrow at her, shocked that one: she had agreed with him, and two: that she had an appetite for something like the oversized stuffed-crust pizza with four different types of meat toppings.

"Blech," Beast Boy grimaced, "there is no way we're getting that massacre with a crust! Why can't we just get mushrooms and peppers or something?"

An annoying chatter rose amongst the three. Avery couldn't listen to one without hearing another.

"Can we order extra mustard?"

"Who puts mustard on pizza?"

"She doesn't put it on the pizza…"

"Whatever, I say we get extra bacon."

"We're not getting meat!"

"Who put you in charge?"

"Please, stop shouting!"

"No one! I'm just debating!"

_Jeez, they may be a team on the battle field, but they certainly can't compromise in-_

"That's not debating!"

"It'd be easier if you just cooperate!"

Avery couldn't even hear herself think. They were starting to give her a serious headache.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled. Amazingly, they listened to her and stopped fighting. They blinked, almost simultaneously. She didn't. She had stood with her exclamation, and now looked down at them with a hard glare. "It's amazing you guys get anything done. I can't even imagine what it's like getting pizza with all of you present."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Beast Boy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and slouching a bit.

"Here's an idea: why don't we just get two pizzas?" she suggested.

"A brilliant idea!" Starfire agreed.

"Two whole pizzas? For just the four of us?" Speedy asked doubtfully, like he wasn't completely on board with the idea.

"Fine, then how bout we get one pizza, half with bacon and sausage, quarter with peppers and mushrooms, and quarter plain?"

There was a long pause where Avery just stood there, waiting for an answer patiently on the outside but biting her nails and pacing in anticipation on the inside. The three shared a look, then a nod, then they looked back at Avery and nodded again. She breathed a sigh of relief, and sank back down into her seat, waving the waitress over.

"And then, Cyborg and I were able to hoist the fusion device through Herald's portal and into space!" Starfire told, making lots of hand motions.

"Yeah, and then Robin and I froze Mallah and the Brain!" Beast Boy finished the story. "And you know what I said?"

"Oh no, not this again," Speedy groaned.

"Check it out, brain freeze!" He erupted with laughter.

Avery faked a smile, faking an unconvincing laugh with it. "Hehe, good one, BB. Very, uh, clever. So… What did you do with the frozen villains afterwards?"

"They're being held at the several of the highest level security prisons in the world," Speedy explained.

"Of course, they were unfrozen once they were _in_ the prison," Beast Boy added.

"It would be immoral to keep someone frozen, even if they are criminals. They are still people," Starfire threw in, sounding very wise for someone who seems so naive.

"Robin's paranoid, and continues to call the prisons' directors for updates. He doesn't put it pass all those villains to attempt an escape, and he believes one of them might actually do it," said Beast Boy.

"_Have_ any of them tried to escape?" Avery asked with interest and eyebrows raised.

"Some of them, but they were only the stupid ones," Speedy said, cracking a smile.

"You know, the bad guys who think they're all high and mighty and a real threat, but can actually be taken down pretty easily," said BB, mimicking the archer's smirk.

"Speaking of easy villains, did I tell you guys about the new demolition master recently trying to take over Steel City?" Speedy asked, leaning in and resting his elbows on the table.

"No, please tell us!" Starfire begged as they all leaned in, ready for another good story.

"What kind of 'demolition master' are we talking about here?" Avery asked, just as curious about the Titans East's new villain as Star and BB were. After hearing several stories about their battles and adventures, including the extra long and epic tale of their fight against the Brotherhood of Evil, Avery was developing a liking for the hero work and "fighting the good fight." It was inspiring to her, to picture these teenagers, not much different from her, with incredible powers, fighting off bad guy after bad guy. She had seen a glimpse at the mall the day before, but she wanted to see them all in action, working as a team, side by side, against more than a couple of stupid teenagers with special guns. She wanted to see one of these battles _up close_.

"Well, that's the best part," Speedy clarified. "His name actually is Demolition Master. He goes around with this huge wrecking ball on a chain, swinging it around and just messing stuff up. Just for the fun of it! He claims by doing this he'll 'claim the city as his own personal city of ruins!'"

"He sounds awfully dangerous," Starfire shrugged her shoulders, bringing her fists close to her face, anticipating the next part of the story even though Speedy had already said he was an easy villain.

"He was," Speedy nodded, leaning back in his seat and slouching. "But he really didn't know what he was doing. In the end, we tied him up with his own wrecking ball chain. I remember I gave him one good uppercut after he had me in a headlock and seriously messed up my hair." As he said this he pulled out a comb from his utility belt along with a handheld mirror, and started fixing his hair. "That was unforgivable."

As the other two started laughing, Avery's mouth hung open, and she chuckled dryly. "Uh, do you… _always_ carry that with you?"

"Speedy is never without his trusty hair comb and mirror, for his hair might be damaged and need the repairs!" Star explained.

"Not exactly 'repairs,' Star, just sprucing up," Speedy said, looking at himself in the mirror and combing the front of his hair.

Avery tried to keep it in, but failed, and erupted with laughter. "Yo-ou… You _ca-an't _be se-erio-o-ous. You're joking, right?"

"Hey," Speedy straightened in his seat and pointed his comb at her, "I _never_ joke when it comes to my hair."

"You really carry that thing around everywhere you go?"

"Of course! I'd be at a total loss without my lucky comb."

"Oh, it's _lucky _too?" This just got better and better.

"It hasn't let me down yet," he smiled at the object appreciatively, before placing it back in his belt.

Beast Boy suddenly put his nose in the air and took a long, exaggerated whiff. "Guys, our pizza's ready! I can smell it!"

The waiter arrived at our table with our pizza. "He-here you go," he said with a shaky smile, as he placed the tray on our table. "E-enjoy!"

Beast Boy chuckled as he scurried off, spinning the tray so the mushrooms and peppers portion was facing him. "He must be new here."

Twenty minutes later, Avery was grabbing for a second slice. "_Man_, this stuff is good!"

"Told ya!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

She took a big first bite of the meat-topped slice of saucy goodness, and watched Starfire drink mustard out of the bottle with a straw in the corner of her eye. "You really like that mustard, don't you Star?"

She took another big slurp, smacked her lips and said, "It is most delectable! Would you care to try some?" She handed the bottle over to her, and Avery hesitantly shook her head and put up her hand in rejection.

"No, that's okay, Star. I'll stick with my root bee-"

_BOOM!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the long wait, but don't worry I got a decent amount of writing done so I plan on updating again very soon. Love you all!**

Mustard.

Was.

_Everywhere._

In the shock of the explosion, Starfire got frightened and squeezed too hard on the mustard bottle, making it squirt out the icky yellow condiment all over. And the worst part was that the bottle was _almost full_.

"Ugh, gross!" Speedy complained, wiping the mustard off his arm and shaking it off his hand. He touched his head and, feeling the sticky wetness, made a horrified face. "My hair!"

"What _was _that?!" Avery nearly screamed, still shaken from the explosion. Mustard was in her hair and all over her shirt.

"Trouble," Beast Boy answered, pointing a finger to the street on the left side of the pizzeria.

Dust from the explosion swirled around on the street. It didn't look like any shops or apartments were destroyed, only a few smashed windows, but there was a shallow crater in the road, ringed by several layers of cracks. Traffic halted on both sides of the destruction, and people were abandoning their cars, running for safety.

Out of the smoke and dust, a small group of people became visible. Two were lanky and slim, with slight builds, one was short and tiny, and the other was overly muscular and the size of a gorilla. They were all dressed head to toe in black, with black metal armor covering vital areas, with ski masks covering their entire face except their eyes.

"Who are they, some new form of ninja?" Avery asked bitterly, wiping mustard off her arm.

"No," Starfire said tentatively. Hurriedly, she took her communicator out of her belt and opened it. "Starfire to Robin… it is them." Avery immediately made the connection. The _them_ that were attacking the streets now were the same hoodlums that had caused trouble before and always slipped away from the Titans' grasp. The criminals that served the one called the Master.

As Starfire gave Robin their location, Speedy readied his bow. "Time for some payback. Nobody messes with my hair and gets away with it."

"You're seriously worried about your _hair_?" Avery asked, shocked and kind of disgusted. "Not the gaping hole in the road and the citizens possibly in danger?"

Speedy narrowed his eyes under his mask, as if Avery had threatened him somehow. "Let me do my job, and you just stay out of the way."

Once again, Avery found herself actually doing what Speedy said, not because she listened to him but because she was going to do it anyway. That really irritated her about him. She didn't know _how_ he did it, but she knew deep down that he meant for things to work out that way. And she _hated it._

Starfire, Beast Boy, and Speedy faced the four weird ninjas halfway through the wreckage. Compared to Starfire's glowing hands and aggressive position, Beast Boy's leopard form, and Speedy's arrow aimed at them, they didn't look all that menacing. In fact, they didn't look all that threatening. Just… dazed. If you tried to look into their eyes, they wouldn't look back at you. They weren't focused on anything, like a zombie.

"Surrender yourselves," Starfire ordered, "and no one shall be harmed!"

Such a demanding voice was surprising coming out of such a polite, quaint girl. Avery figured all the Titans had that quality when the opportunity to use it presented itself. _I might actually get to see them in battle. _She _had_ wanted to see them fight up close. This was the perfect opportunity. And she had a front row view, just over the ledge of the pizzeria.

The zombie ninjas didn't respond. The short, tiny girl with knotted brown hair sticking out the bottom of her mask raised her hand the slightest bit, fingers spread out, her palm facing the ground under Star's feet. Avery could just barely see it, but it looked like bolts of electricity running up and down her arm.

Avery knew what was happening a second before it happened, and she braced herself for another explosion. It didn't come the way she expected. A small ball of electricity gathered at the base of the girl's palm, and Avery could just feel the energy building up within it, ready to burst. The second she thought the explosion would come, Speedy had shot a taser arrow at the zombie-ninja, and the explosion blew up in her face, _literally_. It sent explosion girl flying backwards so far she crashed into the door of the shop behind her.

After that was a blur of arrows, green star bolts, multiple green animals, punches, kicks, and the occasional spurt of red. Beast Boy had Mr. Big and Mighty in a chokehold. Starfire and explosion girl were neck and neck. Speedy was trying to hold off the other two. One was throwing red waves of energy out of his hands, which crumbled and disintegrated anything in their range, and the other was an acrobat with amazingly fast reflexes and perfect agility, doing flips and cartwheels like it was easier than breathing.

It was amazing to watch. Even if Avery _could_ remember, she bet she'd never seen anything like this. Beast Boy, such an adorable, scrawny kid, who's voice cracked when he laughed, could turn into the largest and deadliest of animals, some of which were extinct. Starfire, the nicest girl who wouldn't hurt a fly, was also the most brutal with her fatal star bolts. It still surprised Avery whenever the alien showed just how _freaking strong _she was. And Speedy- he was alright. He had good aim. So did every Olympic gold medalist in the archery category. And he was dodging those disintegration waves pretty swiftly. That just means he was good at dodge ball in middle school. After all the smart-mouthing and insults he pulled, she didn't find any feat he performed very impressive.

It was four against three. The Titans were outnumbered. The three of them were extremely powerful together, but so were the ninjas. If only the whole team was here, then they could take these suped-up wannabe ninjas in a cinch. But backup was no where in sight.

_I should help. _Avery desperately wanted to do something. Standing there watching her friends slowly get defeated was agony. They just needed one more fighting body to be evenly matched. _What could I do? I would just get in the way. _It's true, she had no training, no experience, not even a clue of what to do once she got down there. _Well, the first thing I could do is _get down there.

They could scold her and yell at her all he wanted. They needed help, and she was more than willing.

Of course, she couldn't just jump fifteen feet to the concrete. Avery turned and sprinted for the stairs inside the pizzeria. Seconds felt like hours as she stumbled past turned-over chairs and the glass door that just wouldn't open fast enough.

The first thing she saw once she got outside was the disintegration-wave boy, ready to pounce on Speedy as he fought the acrobat girl away with his bow. Without hesitation, Avery ran, and tackled the boy. She scraped her arm on the edge of some broken road, and bruised her hip bad, nearly dislocating it, but the adrenaline coursing through her covered that up. She barely had time to process what to do next when the boy threw her off him and brought his hand back to throw a wave of energy at her. But before he could, a taser arrow sailed at him and hit him square in the chest.

"WHAT, EXACTLY, ARE YOU DOING, AVERY?" Well, she guessed the scolding and yelling was coming sooner than expected.

"Oh, just hanging around, getting some pizza, saving your ass from getting tackled by the Master of Doom via Disintegration over there." She stood back up on her feet and brushed her hands off on her pants.

The acrobat was back on her feet, but Speedy was faster. He launched another arrow at her, and a long rope detached from the arrowhead and wrapped around her. She fell to the ground with no way to move.

"Well I didn't need my ass saved from the Master of Doom by- via- I had it under control!"

"Oh, sure, 'under control.' Yeah. You're welcome, by the way. At least I helped."

Doom boy was coming to. _Jeez, these guys recover fast._

Speedy had to pull Avery down by her shoulder so she wouldn't get hit by the red waves. An abandoned car slowly crumbled to dust behind them. Speedy reacted by shooting another arrow that released a pink colored foam on contact that held him in place.

"As you can see, we don't need your help," Speedy said bitterly, standing upright.

"You were outnumbered," Avery countered.

"And you're just getting in the way."

"Look out!" Avery pointed to something behind Speedy, and he whirled around and ducked just in time to dodge acrobat girl's fast punch. "You're welcome. _Again_," she muttered. Whether the archer heard her or not, she couldn't tell. He was in fast combat with the acrobat.

The pink foam around the zombie ninja of doom was starting to crumble, and as his hands were freed, Avery spied something off. Around his wrists were bracelets the size of Rolex watches, with spiny links attaching a circular reflector over his palms.

_He doesn't have any powers. He's using technology. It's the bracelets!_

She had about a second and a half before the rest of the foam was gone from around his feet and he was free. She didn't waste any time. Avery pushed past Speedy and tackled the zombie ninja for the second time. This time she made sure to pin him down. She might have felt a bit awkward straddling him like she was, but she was too busy thrashing his wrists against the ground repeatedly to notice.

One of the bracelets cracked and fell off. It clattered on the ground in front of her. She shouldn't have let her guard down. Ninja boy of doom had his other hand, the one with the lethal bracelet still intact, aimed right at her face.

_Crap._

CLANK! Something flew right into his head. Whether he was unconscious or not, she didn't know nor care.

Avery didn't know she could roll backwards over her head until she did so to make her escape. To her right, she saw what had hit Doom boy in the head, and who had thrown it.

"Oh good, the Master sent his cronies back to us," Robin said, standing on the roof of an abandoned truck.

"We were starting to think he forgot about us!" Cyborg added, arming his sonic blaster.

Raven and Bumblebee floated above them, ready for battle. _They really know how to make an entrance._


	14. Chapter 14

All around her, the ninjas were throwing their final blows. Gorilla man threw Beast Boy, morphed as an elephant. Explosion girl sent one last blast at Starfire. Doom boy, who apparently wasn't unconscious from Robin's boom-a-rang thingy, picked himself up. The acrobat ducked under Speedy's shot and ran behind him. The ninjas came together in the center of the street, standing in a straight line like they had rehearsed this.

"You cannot win," they chanted in unison, monotone like robots. "The Master will defeat you. The Master is all powerful."

"Yeah, yeah, the Master's great and dandy, we've heard it already!" Cyborg shouted, aiming his cannon at them.

"Surrender yourselves. Surrender your city. You cannot stop us. We are the Dictation. All hail the Master. All hail the Dictation." Their chant became louder and louder. "ALL HAIL THE MASTER! ALL HAIL THE DICTATION!" Raven surrounded them with black energy, wrapping them up so there was no escape. "ALL HAIL THE MASTER! ALL HAIL THE DICTATION!" Raven turned the wrapping of black energy into a dome. Avery wondered if she would hold them in a ball of energy all the way to the police station as they chanted their mantra one last time.

It didn't seem possible. It couldn't have been possible. One minute the four zombie ninjas were there, under Raven's dome of black energy, and the next, the acrobat who didn't seem to have any powers raised her hand and threw something to the ground. Then there was nothing but smoke. Raven squeezed the dome until there was barely any room for them to fit. But there wasn't anything there. When she released the energy, all there was was a poof of dust and debris.

"WHAT? Where did they go?" said Bumblebee. She flew over to where the ninjas were just standing, looking for any sign of a hidden escape route.

"They're gone. As usual," Raven replied bleakly, landing on the cracked road.

"Oh, man! What a mess!" Cyborg groaned, inspecting the damage. "This is ganna be one hell of a report to fill out."

"It could've been a lot worse," said Avery. _Shit! Why did I open my mouth?_

"A lot worse?" Speedy reiterated. _Here it comes. _"If you hadn't gotten in the way, we would have those goons and be handing them over to the police right now!"

She couldn't contain herself. _Sorry Star, looks like we're not on no fighting grounds just yet. _"Gotten in the way? Are you serious? If I hadn't come down here and saved your butt, you would be disintegrated!"

"I told you I had it under control!"

"STOP!" Beast Boy put himself in between the two of them and pushed them away from each other. "Look, it's not Avery's fault," he said to Speedy.

"You're defending her?!" Speedy outraged. Avery had to bite her cheek to stop herself from sticking out her tongue like a little kid.

"Yes," the changeling said simply. "It's not her fault they got away again. Plus, she's right. It _could've _been a lot worse."

"Exactly _how_ could it have been worse?" Cyborg asked. He waved his metal hand at the destruction, pointing out the craters in the road, the smashed windows and ruined shops, the disintegrated cars and street signs, and the fire hydrant that somehow started spurting water.

"It looks pretty bad," Raven stated, silently asking the same question.

There was a pause. Nobody spoke. They were all looking at Avery, waiting for her to say something. To answer Cyborg's question, but more than that. They wanted to know how she _knew _it could've been a lot worse. Anyone who saw the fight could easily say it was horrible, and not know how it could've been even more horrible. To know that the enemy was holding something back, you had to pay extra close attention.

She drew in a long breath through her nose. "One of the zomb- the _Dictation_, could create minor explosions, and another could give off a red wave that disintegrated whatever he aimed at. If they were planning on completely destroying the city and wiping out all signs of life, they could have. But they didn't."

"Are you suggesting that those two were holding back?" Robin asked, out of his hero mode and into detective mode.

"Not just those two," Avery shook her head, then looked behind her and searched the torn up asphalt until she spotted it. She stepped over a piece of road sticking up and grabbed the bracelet that she successfully broke off of the disintegration boy. She held up the bracelet to the Titans' leader. "He couldn't just magically shoot disintegration rays out of his hands. He was wearing one of these on each of his wrists. I wouldn't doubt that the shortie was using some kind of technology too."

"So their master plan wasn't to just blow the city up," Bumblebee figured it out, "because then-"

"All four of them would've had a pair of these bracelets," Robin finished. "They weren't holding back. The Master was."

"So what _was_ the Master's plan then?" asked Starfire.

"I'm not sure," Robin replied, gripping the bracelet hard. "Let's get back to the Tower. I'm sure Chief Daniels will be calling us soon. And while we're at it, Avery," he cracked a smile at the dancer that made her more than suspicious, "there's something you'll want to see."


End file.
